 Disturbances in Spokane in 1917 prompted Governor Ernest Lister to declare martial law and order a major deployment of National Guard troops into the city.With the potential of U.S. entry into World War I, Lister resolved that a fallback military force would need to be raised to guard against insurrection while the Washington National Guard was in federal service.Contingency plans for such a force had already been drawn-up by the state's military department and Governor Lister authorized its creation on July 11, 1917.