100 Christmases ago in Spokane: The weather was unseasonably warm – and so were the hearts of generous city residents

It was a warm Christmas in Spokane, in several senses of the word.

After a brutal week or two of cold and snow, the temperature rose to 48 degrees.

Meanwhile, the Good Fellows, a local charitable group, reported that it had raised enough money, food and clothing to supply every needy family in Spokane.

“The Good Fellows storeroom in City Hall is packed to the roof with clothing and foodstuffs, which will be distributed throughout the winter as occasion demands,” the Spokane Daily Chronicle reported.

From the church beat: Large crowds attended Midnight Mass at the area’s Catholic churches. Attendance at both Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Aloysius was estimated at 1,500.

From the football beat: Gonzaga University was playing its first bowl game, the San Diego East-West Christmas Classic, versus the University of West Virginia. The Chronicle established a dedicated phone line for progress reports during the game.

Those progress reports turned out to be thrilling.

The game was “one of the most spectacular contests played anywhere in the country this year,” the Chronicle said. “Both teams forward passed often and well.”

Gonzaga was the heavy underdog against the powerful West Virginia team, but “the playing of the Bulldogs was a big surprise.”

They “gave mighty West Virginia a big scare,” threatening to pull an upset in the final quarter, but eventually fell short 21-13.