Living History Walking Tours
Book one of our seasonal 1.5-hour walking tours with a local historian through the streets of Coeur d'Alene and learn about the city’s early history.
Tickets are $15/adults and $7.50/youth and include admission to the Museum. All walking tours depart from the Museum of North Idaho.
Walking tours are scheduled April through September on Saturdays and Sundays but can also be booked by private groups of at least four individuals with 48 hours advance notice. Call (208) 664-3448 x 1 or email programs@museumni.org to book your walking tour today. Discounts are available for groups with 10 or more people.
Downtown Coeur d'Alene Walking Tour
Learn about Coeur d'Alene's early history from the impacts of the mining and lumber industries to the steamboats and hydroplane races on Lake Coeur d'Alene. The Downtown Coeur d'Alene walking tour is just over one mile long and takes place mostly on city sidewalks.
Sundays at 11:30 am
Fort Sherman Walking Tour
Nestled along the banks of Lake Coeur d'Alene and the Spokane River, Fort Coeur d'Alene (later renamed Fort Sherman) was established in 1879. The campus of North Idaho College now sits on the fort grounds, but a few original buildings still remain. Learn about the history of the fort and the city that formed around it. The tour finishes with a visit inside Fort Sherman Chapel, the city's oldest church, school, library, and meeting hall. The tour is just over 1.5 miles long and takes place mostly on sidewalks and paved roads. The Fort Sherman Chapel is a historic building and does not have an accessible entrance.
Saturdays at 11:30 am
Cemetery Walking Tours
Our cemetery walking tours got their start in 2021 and have become one of our most anticipated annual offerings. Taking place in September and October, these tours are the perfect way to kick off spooky season.
Join local historians as you tour Coeur d'Alene's oldest cemetery and learn the stories of the historically influential people who are buried beneath your feet.
Tours are one and a half hours long and depart from Forest Cemetery at 1011 Government Way in Coeur d'Alene. Tickets for tours usually sell out within days of being offered so be sure to keep an eye on our social media channels for updates about when they go on sale so you don't miss out!
For more information, please call (208) 664-3448 x 1 or email programs@museumni.org.
Visit Our Historic Properties
Fort Sherman Chapel
On April 16, 1878, an order issued from the headquarters of the US Army, District of the Clearwater officially established a new fort at the present location of North Idaho College. Construction of the fort began that summer, and the first buildings completed were barracks for the men, quarters for the single officers and cottages for the married officers and their families. The Chapel was among the next buildings constructed in 1880, along with the commissary, quartermaster building, hospital, post hall and powder magazine, and the stables.
The Fort Sherman Chapel is Coeur d'Alene's oldest church, school, library, and meeting hall. Fort Sherman was closed in 1900, and the buildings and property were sold at public auction in 1905. Developers bought what is today known as the Sherman Park Addition, which included the Chapel. Over the years, many denominations used the Chapel for church services. Concerted effort began in 1934 to preserve the Chapel. In 1942, the Athletic Round Table held the Chapel in trust and began repairs of the structure. To ensure the preservation of Coeur d'Alene's oldest standing building, the ART donated the Chapel to the Museum of North Idaho in 1984.
Today, the Fort Sherman Chapel is used as a venue for various history programs and can also be rented for private events such as meetings and weddings.
Big Hank Cabin
This smoke chaser cabin was moved from its original location along the Coeur d'Alene River in the Coeur d'Alene National Forest as a part of the Nation's 1976 Bicentennial celebration. It was built in 1924 by Bill Guernsey and Pete Jackson. The cabin was dismantled and donated to the Museum of North Idaho before being moved to its current location on the North Idaho College campus.
The Big Hank Cabin was one of many cabins used by seasonal fire crews called "Smoke Chasers." During fire season, the Forest Service manned a system of fire lookouts and cabins linked together by pack trails and telephone lines. Lookout spotters would dispatch fire crews when needed. When not fighting fires, the fire crews did trail maintenance. Supplies were packed by mule to lookouts and crews working fire suppression. The use of pack mules was critical during fire season to get supplies and equipment to crews in areas where vehicles could not pass.