Spokane (pronounced spoke-ann) is a town in far east Washington. Known as the Lilac City it experienced much growth as a railroad town, but suffered from a serious fire before the turn of the century. Famous for the Spokane Falls and Spokane River (tributary of the Columbia River) which divide the town between north and south. The region was first inhabited by the Spokane Indians who were defeated in a war with white settlers by 1858. The city was incorporated in 1881. The city hosted the World Exposition in 1974.