Vinegar Flats – The Keller-Lorenz Vinegar WorksJesse Tinsley crafts a Then And Now column in The Spokesman-Review daily newspaper in Spokane. This bit comes from one of his insightful columns:

In an area that was once a seasonal village of Spokane Indians along Latah Creek, a neighborhood was platted in 1888. It became known as Vinegar Flats because of the tangy aroma from a vinegar production plant that opened in 1889……. The Keller-Lorenz Vinegar Company made cider and vinegar and sold the product to stores in bottles or to wholesalers in barrels…. the company grew rapidly and in 1912 the company used 15,000 tons of apples from Spokane’s orchards to make 225,000 gallons of cider and 5,000 gallons of vinegar…. their two primary products were pickling vinegar, made from barley malt and molasses, and apple vinegar which starts as cider…… eight men worked full time at the plant with up to 14 more added seasonally….. 

“When the factory began operations in 1890, vinegar was especially important for the preservation of a variety of foods. In an era before household refrigeration, pickling in vinegar was a common method of preserving fruits and vegetables. The Vinegar Works operated in the three-story building at 11th Avenue and Spruce Street until 1958 producing cider, malt, and white wine vinegar. It wasn’t until the 1930s that refrigerators became commonplace and the need for pickling foods became less important. This new era of both commercial and domestic refrigeration, coupled with better roads for transportation, meant that factories like the Keller -Lorenz Vinegar Works eventually went out of business.”

 Next time you drive south to Pullman from Spokane on Hwy 195, sniff the air. It just might smell a bit tangy still.