Whitworth Digital Commons Whitworth University History Faculty Scholarship History 1-1988 Billy Sunday in Spokane: Revivalism and Social Control Dale E. Soden Whitworth University,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.whitworth.edu/historyfaculty Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Soden, Dale E. "Billy Sunday in Spokane: Revivalism and Social Control." Pacific oN rthwest Quarterly 79, no. 1 (1988): 10-17. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the History at Whitworth University. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of Whitworth University. 10 PACIFIC NORTHWEST QUARTERLY The Pacific Northwest has frequently From the outset one must remember Billy Sunday been categorized as the least churched that Billy Sunday did not find Spo- and least religious section of the country. kane-c-Spokane found Billy Sunday, in Spokane And in general, most historians haveac- Sometime during the early part of 1907, eepted the notion that religion played a Dr. H. 1. Rasmus, pastor of the First comparatively minor role in the develop- Methodist Episcopal Church, suggested ment of urban life in the region. Nev- that Billy Sunday be brought to town. At Revivalism and ertheless, during the winter of 1908-1909, a May ministerial association meeting, Social Control as many as 35,000 people a day gathered Dr. E. 1. House, pastor of Westminster in downtown Spokane to hear Billy Sun- Congregational Church, was selected to day preach the gospel. For six weeks the secure Sunday's services. After numer- Dale E. Soden itinerant evangelist and former baseball player electrified crowds with his aero- batie antics and invective against every- one from the wealthy socialite to the tav- ern goer.