History & Culture

Click here for a List of North Idaho Museums

Indians Acquire a New Name

For thousands of years, almost 5,000,000 acres of what is now North Idaho, eastern Washington and western Montana was the homeland of the Sahlish-speaking Schee-Chu-Umsh. In the early 19th century, when explorers and fur traders began to move into the Northwest, the Schee-Chu-Umsh acquired the French name Coeur d'Alene. Translated "heart of awl," meaning hearts like the point of an awl, the name described their great skills in trading. The Tribe embraced Catholicism on the wings of legend: Coeur d'Alene Chief Circling Raven's vision of men wearing black robes bringing a great spiritual truth to his people.

The Mission

The importance of the Old Mission of The Sacred Heart can't be minimized. Its story is interwoven into Idaho history. It served as a learning center and home for the Coeur d'Alene Indians, a stopover for westward settlers, a haven for the sick, and a supply and post office. Originally built on the St. Joe River in 1842, it was moved due to flooding. The present site in Cataldo, overlooking the Coeur d'Alene River Valley, was selected by Father Peter DeSmet in 1844. Visible from I-90 it is approximately 90 ft. long 40 ft. high and 40 ft. wide. The structure was built by Jesuit priests and the Coeur d'Alene Indian Tribe. Through Father Ravelli's ingenuity, the entire building was constructed with a broad axe and auger, ropes and pulleys and a pen knife. Completed in 1853, it is the oldest standing building in Idaho. It is a national land mark and was designated an Idaho State Park in 1975.

Idaho's First Road

In 1853 General Isaac Stevens, the first governor of Washington Territory, came through with a survey party in search of a northern route for a transcontinental railroad. Stevens recommended to the Congress that the proposed route should cross the Bitterroot Mountains and follow the south fork of the Coeur d'Alene River.

The 624 mile road, which became known as the Mullan Road, after Captain John Mullan who supervised the construction, was completed in 1862. It served as a military road, as a settler's route, a supply route for the Northern Pacific Railroad, and would provide access to the Coeur d'Alene Mining District.

A Military Presence

Camp Coeur d'Alene was established at the headwaters of the Spokane River. Fort Sherman was the beginning of a pioneer village that became the city of Coeur d'Alene. In 1898, the entire Fort Sherman garrison was sent to fight in the Spanish-American War. The post was officially abandoned in 1901. Today, the original fort grounds are the site of North Idaho College. The first sawmill in the Coeur d'Alenes was built by the military at Fort Sherman.

Rush for Gold & Silver

Rumors about the presence of gold in the Coeur d'Alene Mountains date back to the early 1860s when the Mullan Road was built. Some 20 years later a veteran prospector, Andrew J. Prichard, discovered gold near the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River. In 1884 silver was discovered on the south side of the Coeur d'Alene Mountains, near Wallace. By 1890 most of the great silver mines of the Coeur d'Alenes had been discovered.

Wallace became the hub of one of the richest mining districts in the world. Over $5 billion worth of metals has been extracted from the Coeur d'Alene Mining District. The Coeur d'Alene Mining District claims many records for silver production: The deepest, the Star-Morning Mine at Burke (7,000 feet deep); the richest, the now-closed Sunshine Mine on Big Creek (over 300 million ounces of silver produced); the biggest, now closed Bunker Hill (over 180 miles of underground workings). Historic Wallace's past is replete with tales of millions being earned and lost, cataclysmic forest fires, mining wars and U.S. Army-supported marshal law, gambling and bordellos. It's the last town listed on the National Register of Historic Places and up until a decade ago, downtown Wallace was the location of the last stoplight on Interstate 90 between Seattle and Boston.

The township of Kellogg was established in 1892. Kellogg is named after Noah Kellogg (his jackass is credited with finding the first Galena ore in 1884) founder of The Bunker Hill Mine, once one of the largest employers in the region. Headquarter buildings are now converted into hostels and are popular for travelers interested in modest accommodations. In 1886 Kellogg was linked by rail to the Coeur d'Alene River at Cataldo where steamboats carried supplies from Coeur d'Alene and minerals to connections in Spokane. With the completion of the Veterans Memorial Centennial Bridge in 1992, the trip from Coeur d'Alene to Kellogg by auto is less than 30 minutes.

Trains, Boats, & People

The discovery of gold and silver coincided with the completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad, which connected Lake Superior to the Puget Sound. By 1915 Coeur d'Alene had shipping facilities on five transcontinental railroads, plus an interurban electric railroad that maintained hourly transportation between Spokane, WA and Coeur d'Alene. A fleet of steamboats offered tourist excursions as an extension to rail access to Spokane and the Northwest. By 1910 Coeur d'Alene was known as the convention city of Idaho.

Originally named Westwood, in 1881 Rathdrum was renamed after a town in Ireland in order to obtain it's own post office. It was county seat of Kootenai County until 1908. It was the end of the Northern Pacific Railroad route to the Coeur d'Alene Mining district. From here, miners took a stage to Coeur d'Alene and a steamboat to Cataldo. In 1886 a branch line to Hauser re-routed traffic. Several of Rathdrum's historic buildings reflect its prosperous days as the county seat.

At one time a rough-and-tumble logging town, Harrison still sports remnants of its colorful past. Historic buildings, like the community's two churches, weathered saloons and even the city's cemetery, all stand as testament to the hardy souls who built this one-time boom town. In the early 1900s, Harrison was a main port for the big passenger steamers that navigated Lake Coeur d'Alene.

Bonners Ferry was named for Edwin Bonner. He was the builder of the first ferry boat on the Kootenai River that was used for transportation needs of gold prospectors of Wild Horse Creek in British Columbia. The Kootenai River, which flows through Bonners Ferry is a fickle patriot. Originating in Canada, it flows South across the U.S. border then returns North back into Canada eventually emptying into the Snake River. It is also unique in that it once contained a large sturgeon population, which is now being rebuilt by the Kootenai Tribe.

St. Maries developed as a steam-boat stop and major distribution center for raw logs, at the confluence of the St. Maries and St. Joe rivers. Named by Father Pierre DeSmet, who built the original mission on the St. Joe just north of town. Flooding forced the priest to move the mission to Cataldo, where it stands today as the oldest original building in the state. In St. Maries timber industry involvement continues. Boats maneuvering large brailles of logs to sawmills can still be seen moving along the St. Joe River. St. Maries is the home of Vernon Baker, the first African American awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

The Waters of North Idaho

Prior to 1846, Native Americans inhabited the shores of Hayden Lake. Legend has it that in 1878 a pioneer named Matt Heyden and another early homesteader, John Hager got into a poker game to see who would name the lake. Heyden won, although time altered the spelling to Hayden Lake. The Hayden Lake Country Club was once a recreational stop on the area's electric railroad known as Bozanta Tavern. During World War II it was an R & R site for service personnel.

The village of Bayview was once the terminus for lake steamers bringing lumber and lime from other points on the lake. After the start of World War II Farragut Naval Training Center was built just west of Bayview. The second largest training center in the country, it processed 293,381 sailors in one 15-month period. After the war the center was decommissioned and given to the state of Idaho for a state park. Bayview is currently the site of a US Naval underwater research facility.

Frederick Post came upon a falls in the Spokane River in 1871 and visualized the ideal location for a sawmill. He negotiated a treaty with Chief Andrew Seltice of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and started the area's first commercial sawmill in 1880. The settlement of Post Falls grew up around the mill. The dam is now operated by Avista Utilities and is the site of Falls Park, with observation decks open to the public. The Coeur d'Alenes and much of northern Idaho had immense stands of white pine and met all the conditions for logging, including transcontinental railroads to take the lumber to market. Many of the towns in northern Idaho began as logging centers.

Priest Lake is named from the legend of a priest, ministering to early settlers, who disappeared one winter and was presumed drowned in the cold, clear waters. The lake is also famed for being the site of several early silent movies produced by Nell Shipman in the 1920s.

The city of Sandpoint is named for the extensive sandy beach area that extends into Lake Pend Oreille near downtown. Lake Pend Oreille (pronounced Pond -O -ray) is said to have been named by French fur trappers who thought the lake was shaped like a large ear. The lake is over 43 miles long, six miles wide and its depth is more than 1,200 feet. Early trapper, David Thompson who worked for The Hudson Bay Company, was responsible for charting maps for much of North Idaho as well as building a trading post east of Sandpoint near Hope, Idaho, called the Kalispel House.

Top Ten Historic Sites in North Idaho

Museums

Kootenai County

• Fort Sherman Museum - exhibits depict life at the fort and smokejumper cabin. North Idaho College, Coeur d'Alene 664-3448
• Museum of North Idaho - features steamboats, lumber and Native Americans. 115 Northwest Blvd, Coeur d'Alene 664-3448 www.museumni.org 
• Post Falls Historical Society Museum - 109 E 4th Ave, Post Falls 773-4681
• Brig Museum at Farragut State Park - 13550 E Hwy 54, Athol 683-2425
• Crane Historical Society Museum - 201 Coeur d'Alene Ave, Harrison 689-3111

Silver Valley

• Crystal Gold Mine - 51931 Silver Valley Rd, Kellogg 783-4653 www.goldmine-idaho.com 
• Mullan Museum - 229 Earl Street, Mullan 744-1100
• Old Mission State Park - One mile E of Cataldo off I-90 682-3814 Cataldo Mission of The Sacred Heart at Old Mission Park is the oldest standing building in Idaho. www.idahoparks.org/parks/oldmission.html 
• Northern Pacific Railroad Depot Museum - 219 6th Street, Wallace 752-0111
• Oasis Bordello Museum - was originally a hotel & saloon - became a brothel in 1985. 605 Cedar Street, Wallace 753-0801
• The Portal Museum - McKinley Ave, Kellogg 659-2722
• Staff House Museum - 820 Mckinley 786-4141 in Kellogg displays the history of Bunker Hill Mine.
• Sierra Silver Mine Tour - 420 5th Street, Wallace 752-5151 www.silverminetour.org 
• Silver Capital Arts Mining & Mineral Museum - 610 Bank St, Wallace 556-7081
• Spragpole Museum - 6353 Prichard Creek Rd, Murray 682-3901 www.silver-valley.com/sprag_pole 
• Shoshone County Mining & Smelting Museum - 820 McKinley Ave, Kellogg www.staffhousemuseum.com  786-4141
• Wallace Corner Gifts & Museum - 525 Cedar Street, Wallace 753-6141
• Wallace District Mining Museum - has memorabilia from early hard rock mining. 509 Bank Street, Wallace 556-1592
• Wardner Memorabilia Museum - 525 Main, Wardner 786-2641

Bonner & Boundary Counties

• Bird Aviation Museum & Invention Center - Sagle (by appt. only) 255-4321 www.birdaviationmuseum.com
• Bonner County Historical Society Museum - 611 S Ella Ave, Sandpoint 263-2344 www.bonnercountyhistory.org
• Keyser House Museum - Priest River Museum & Timber Educational Center 301 Montgomery St, Priest River 448-2721
• Vintage Wheel Museum - 218 Cedar St in Sandpoint exhibits antique cars, horse drawn vehicles, steam engines and logging equipment.
• Priest Lake Museum - 38 W Lakeshore Dr, Priest River 443-3191 www.priestlake.org
• Boundary County Museum - 7229 Main St, Bonners Ferry 267-7720

Benewah County

• Hughes House Museum - 538 Main Ave, St Maries 245-3563 www.stmarieschamber.org/hughes