North Idaho

North Idaho  holds a special place in my heart, as I spent 31 years living there from 1976 until 2007, when I relocated to Oregon.  I moved to Idaho with my first husband, Randy, to the small town of Clark Fork.  We purchased 5 acres of land outside of town, and lived in tents while we built a log cabin.  After his death in 1979, I remarried and raised my two  children, first in Clark Fork and later in Coeur d'Alene.  I eventually pursued a career with Kootenai County, and worked there for 20 years until 2007.  My children still live in Idaho, so I visit there frequently. 

 

Post Falls was our home for the first 12 years, and the Spokane River was just blocks away from our house.  Post Falls was named after Frederick Post, who established a lumber mill in the area.  You can still see remnants of the mill along the River at the Washington Water Power Dam and hydroelectric system.                                                                 

Spokane River Dam at Post Falls
 

High Bridge designed by Washington Water Power Co in 1929.  Provides access to the island for maintenance and operation of the Post Falls Hydroelectric Development

Corbin Ditch Headgate
 

The Corbin Ditch Headgate and Spokane Valley Irrigation Canal provided water to the Spokane agricultural area from the Spokane River, and the portion of the Canal in Falls Park was listed to the National Historic Register in 2003.

One of the most beautiful scenes I have found in North Idaho is the overlook at Bayview on Lake Pend Oreille, located at the north end of Farragut State Park.  Pend Oreille is the largest and deepest lake in Idaho, and is the home of the Farragut Naval Training Center.  The population of base was 55,000 at it's peak, making it the largest city in Idaho at that time.  

 

 

View of Lake Pend Oreille as you enter the town of Bayview

Bayview is a unique and quiet little town, with not much happening aside from activities associated with Farragut Park and the lake.  There are a number of float homes moored at the edge of town, and some were at one point "grandfathered" so that they will always be able to stay in place.  Some very picturesque and look like they would be great fun to stay in. 


 

I will never forget the first Fall season that I spent in Idaho, noticing the orange trees that began to show in the mountains around Clark Fork.  I learned that they were Tamarack trees, which are of the larch species, and one of the few conifers to turn color lose it's leaves in the Fall.  The result is a beautiful tapestry in the surrounding hillsides.