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This park commemorates the location of Antoine Plante's home and river ferry
Antoine Plante was a fur trapper, working for the Hudson Bay Company, who settled here on the banks of the Spokane River. In 1853 he constructed a ferry across the river here, which quickly became a gathering place for travelers and other trappers. Plante was rumored to be of French Canadian - Flathead Indian heritage, and is considered the first non-native inhabitant of the Spokane region. He often served as a mediator between the locals and white leaders. His home was located near the monument at coordinates N 47 41.912 W 117 14.641
In 1861 he became a guide for Capt John Mullan, scouting the route of the Mullan Trail, a route that roughly follows the current Interstate 90 through Northern Idaho, through the Spokane Valley, and on to Walla Walla, Washington. The route just happened to use Plante's Ferry for a crossing.
In 1865 a bridge was constructed upstream (just north of the I-90 weigh station at the state line), essentially ending Plante's glory days as a ferry operator. As the Northern Pacific Railroad moved through the region, Plante lost his land because he was considered "a foreign-born indian, not entitled to retain lands under the settlement laws of the United States". He eventually moved to the Jocko Valley in Montana, where he died in 1890.
If it weren't for the popular falls just a few miles downstream which made for a good mill site, the region would probably be refered to today as Plante's Ferry, instead of Spokane Valley.
As you stand next to the sculpture of Antoine, turn away from the river and look back up along the trail. The cache container is at the base of the tall pine tree on the left side of the "notch" created by the trail, about 100 feet from the sculpture. Please watch for muggles.
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