History Blog
Explore these articles to learn more about the unique history of North Idaho.
The Buildings of Fort Sherman
By Robert Singletary Special to the Nickel’s Worth In 1905, the land and buildings of Fort Sherman were sold at public auction. Two Spokane businessmen, Thomas Kerl and David Ham,…
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Coeur d’Alene’s First (modern) Hospital
By Robert Singletary special to the Nickel’s Worth The first modern hospital in Coeur d’Alene was constructed at 412 Lakeside Avenue in the early 1930s. The Lake City Hospital and Medical Center…
Read MoreMr. Coeur d’Alene
By Robert Singletary, Special to the Nickel’s Worth As new and improved highways began to develop in northern Idaho during the 1950s and 1960s, there was a revival of tourism, especially in…
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William P. Carlin, noted Civil War General, ends his career at Fort Sherman
By Robert SingletarySpecial to the Coeur d’Alene PressGeneral William Passmore Carlin was a career soldier, who began his career with the 6tth US Infantry at Fort Snelling, Minn., soon after graduating from…
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Playland Pier
By ROBERT SINGLETARY, Special to the Press In the fall of 1940, Earl Somers and his wife Byrd, moved to Coeur d’Alene with the idea of building an amusement park.…
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History of The Flyer
By Robert Singletary, Special to the Nickel’s Worth On October 11, 1906, boat builder P.W. Johnson launched the Flyer, one of the most popular steamboats on Lake Coeur d’Alene. The Flyer…
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Atlas Mill History
By Robert Singletary, Special for the Nickel’s Worth In 1881, Marcus Wright came to Idaho Territory and helped create the town of Rathdrum and organize Kootenai County. He also established…
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A ‘Rest Camp’ for victims of the epidemic
by Deborah Akers Mitchell So dire was the need for nurses during the Spanish flu epidemic that the Coeur d’Alene Press sent an SOS throughout the city: “All women, preferably…
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The Mullan Tree
By Robert Singletary, Special to the Nickel’s Worth This coming July 4th, 2021, will be exactly 160 years ago when John Mullan’s road construction crew stopped work to celebrate Independence…
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Buroker-Hicks
By Robert Singletary Special to the Nickel’s Worth Coeur d’Alene had an important role in the training of pilots during World War II. In 1942, the Buroker-Hicks Flying Service leased…
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Motion Picture History in North Idaho
By Robert Singletary Special for the Nickel’s Worth The history of the motion picture industry had its beginning in the late 1800s. By the early 1900s, the making and showing…
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Steamboat Collision on Lake Coeur d’Alene
By Deborah Mitchell At the turn of the 19th century, the steamboat captains on Lake Coeur d’Alene shared and agreed to a set of signal whistles, or toots, that they…
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