History Blog

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

Forest Cemetery: Peaceful and orderly

By Museum of North Idaho | Jan 30, 2021

Coeur d’Alene Press| January 30, 2021 1:00 AM Excerpted from Coeur d’Alene’s Parks and Recreation 24-page “Walking Tour of The Forest Cemetery” Over 140 years ago, the U.S. Army established a…

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Coeur d’Alene High School

By Museum of North Idaho | Jan 8, 2021

Written by Robert Singletary for the Nickel’s Worth 1/8/2021 On January 2, 1911, one hundred and ten years ago, a new and modern high school building was opened for classes…

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North Idaho’s Automotive History

By Museum of North Idaho | Jan 1, 2021

Written by Robert Singletary. Featured in the Nickel’s Worth Jan 1, 2021. One of the first automobiles in northern Idaho was a 1902 Oldsmobile owned by Fred Landrus, pictured above. …

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Hughes House Museum in St. Maries

By Museum of North Idaho | Dec 25, 2020

Written by Robert Singletary. Published in the Nickel’s Worth December 25, 2020. This log house was built in St. Maries in 1902 and started out as a men’s club. From…

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Father Purcell makes major contributions to North Idaho

By Museum of North Idaho | Dec 18, 2020

By Robert Singletary Special To The Coeur d’Alene Press| December 18, 2020 1:00 AM Thomas J. Purcell was born in Wales of Irish parents in 1868. He came to the U.S. with…

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When trains collide

By Museum of North Idaho | Nov 20, 2020

November 20, 2020 1:00 AM (in part from the Spokesman-Review July 31,1909) The 1909 Homestead Act opened up a large area of land south of Coeur d’Alene whereby citizens could…

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Marcus Wright: The Tie King of North Idaho

By Museum of North Idaho | Nov 13, 2020

By By ROBERT SINGLETARY/Special To The Coeur d’Alene Press Robert Singletary Special To The Press| November 13, 2020 1:00 AM Marcus Wright, a native of Kentucky, moved to the village of Spokane…

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The man behind Hamilton House

By Museum of North Idaho | Oct 30, 2020

By By DEBORAH AKERS MITCHELL| October 30, 2020 1:00 AM With all the recent articles about saving the Hamilton House, it is time to learn about the person who built it —…

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Prohibition prognosticator pushes peanut

By Museum of North Idaho | Oct 5, 2020

October 5, 2020 1:00 AM In 1909, Kootenai County citizens voted to outlaw liquor sales and become a “dry” county. The “drys” won by a narrow margin of 164 votes.…

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Cd’A went ‘dry’ ahead of its time

By Museum of North Idaho | Sep 11, 2020

By By RICHARD SHELDON/Museum Of North Idaho| September 11, 2020 12:30 AM First of two parts As the United States entered the 20th century, two important issues came together in a manner…

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Navy recruit torched new civic center

By Museum of North Idaho | Sep 4, 2020

By By ROBERT SINGLETARY/Special To The Coeur d’Alene Press| September 4, 2020 1:00 AM In 1935 plans were underway to build a new civic center in the Coeur d’Alene City Park, replacing…

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Treaty Rock and ‘Little Falls’

By Museum of North Idaho | Sep 2, 2020

| September 2, 2020 1:00 AM Saturday’s edition of The Coeur d’Alene Press, Aug. 22, published my short history of Treaty Rock. Mark Weadick raised the question, “… which falls on…

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