Salem Lutheran Church (Spokane, Wash.)

The Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church of Spokane Falls, Washington Territory, organized under the guidance of Peter Carlson, pioneer missionary. Twenty-one adults signed the charter in 1888. The Ladies’ Sewing Society and the Young People’s Society paid over half of the church expenses for the first several years. Disagreements over the use of the English language caused a group to leave and form the English Trinity Lutheran Church, and in 1922 led to the pastor’s resignation. By 1923, the transition from Swedish to English was in progress.

Considerable growth was experienced by the congregation in the 1940s and 1950s, and the building of a youth center resulted. During work on the building in 1949, a spark from a cutting torch ignited the sanctuary wall and the entire building was destroyed. A nearby Catholic church offered the use of its gymnasium for worship services until the new building was erected. Salvaged from the burned building were the stained glass windows, the altar painting, and most of the pipe organ, all of which are now a part of the new edifice which was dedicated on April 30, 1950. A complete record of Salem’s early history is recorded on microfilm at the University of Washington.