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 of movies was developing into a major industry. There were over a dozen movie theaters in northern Idaho by 1911. Three of those, the Alene Theater, the Edison, and the Lyric were in Coeur d’Alene.  In the early 1920s, Nell Shipman, famous silent film star and producer, came to Spokane and Priest Lake to make movies. Over the years, movie stars from Nell Shipman to Patty Duke have made movies in northern Idaho. The Photo above shows the Dream Theater in Coeur d’Alene during the late 1940s. CDA-14-12

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