History Blog

Explore these articles to learn more about the unique history of North Idaho.

2nd Infantry Band

By Museum of North Idaho | Mar 23, 2021

By Robert Singletary, Special to The Nickel’s Worth The first musical organization to perform in what is now the city of Coeur d’Alene was probably the 2nd Infantry Band, stationed…

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Stanley Easton: Mr. Bunker

By Museum of North Idaho | Mar 23, 2021

By Robert Singletary, Special to the Coeur d’Alene Press Stanley Easton, an 1894 graduate of the University of California, was associated with the Bunker Hill Mining Company in Kellogg, Idaho…

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Chautauqua at Spirit Lake

By Museum of North Idaho | Mar 15, 2021

By: Robert Singletary In 1912, Spirit Lake was chosen as the home of the Inland Empire annual Chautauquas. Each summer, a comprehensive program featuring lectures, educators and entertainers of nationwide…

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Historic Mansion on Hayden Lake

By Museum of North Idaho | Mar 12, 2021

By Robert Singletary Spokane millionaire F. Lewis Clark built a mansion on the south end of Hayden Lake Lake in 1910. At the time, it was said to be the…

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EARLY HAYDEN LAKE

By Museum of North Idaho | Mar 10, 2021

By Robert Singletary With the completion of the first railroad across northern Idaho in 1881 and the rapid development of towns, there became a very high demand for agricultural products.…

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Blackwell Park History

By Museum of North Idaho | Mar 5, 2021

By Robert Singletary In 1902, Frederick Blackwell, a wealthy lumberman from Williamsport, Penn., came to Coeur d’Alene to invest in the emerging timber industry. In addition to developing one of the…

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Meet Lake Cd’A’s father of steamboating

By Museum of North Idaho | Feb 27, 2021

By Richard Sheldon And Deborah Mitchell| February 27, 2021 1:00 AM Peter C. Sorenson was born in 1833 in Kragero, Norway, where he learned the art of boatbuilding. In 1864, Peter, a…

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Ft. Sherman Band

By Museum of North Idaho | Feb 26, 2021

By Robert Singletary For twenty years, 1878 to 1898, the military band at Fort Coeur d’Alene/Sherman provided much of the musical entertainment for the village of Coeur d’Alene. After the closure…

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Desert Hotel Fire

By Museum of North Idaho | Feb 19, 2021

By Robert Singletary for the Nickelsworth On Sunday night, June 25, 1972, the Desert Hotel, and several offices in the building, were destroyed by fire. None of the guests or employees…

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Fort Sherman Closes After 20 years

By Museum of North Idaho | Feb 17, 2021

By Robert Singletary Fort Sherman was officially closed on March 9, 1900, after being in operation more than twenty years. In 1901, the grounds and buildings were turned over to…

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The First Sawmill

By Museum of North Idaho | Feb 11, 2021

Written by Robert Singletary for the Nickel’s Worth 2/12/2021 The first sawmill to operate in northern Idaho was built in 1878 by the U.S. Army on land near the Spokane…

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The History of Lochaven Farms

By Museum of North Idaho | Feb 1, 2021

By Deb Mitchell and Dorothy Dahlgren Today, on the corner of Honeysuckle and 4th, there stands a large barn, a two-story home and several other faded-white buildings surrounded by a…

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