North Idaho is a tough place to top for friendly people, natural beauty and recreational activities, just to name a few. But throw in a bus load of special events scattered throughout the year and you'd be hard pressed to find a place more fun to live or visit.
Summer is right around the corner, even if the end of April did seem like a return to winter. And summer means a long list of events and festivals with such variety that there is literally something for everyone. Let's take a peek at a few celebrations coming up in the next few months.
Depot Days, May 7-8 in Wallace, kick off car show season with vehicles of all types, makes and ages lining the downtown streets. It's a family festival celebrating the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot with live music, kids activities, vendors and of course the historic Depot.
If you like car shows you'll want to be in Sandpoint the next weekend for Lost in the 50's. The whole town goes retro with rock and roll, dances and car parade and show. Herman's Hermits headline Saturday night's festivities.
The Priest Lake Spring Festival on May 28-30 has arts & crafts, live music, history, pancake breakfasts, silent auction, a parade on Saturday and fun run on Sunday. Here's a schedule of events.
Post Falls Days, June 4-6, are always fun with vendors, kids activities, a fishing derby and a parade.
The Big Back-In is lawnmower drag racing in Rathdrum on June 20. Yes, lawnmower drag racing!
The 4th of July finds celebrations in almost every community and fireworks from Bonners Ferry to Harrison to Murray. Here's a list.
The Coeur d'Alene Tribe hosts it's annual Julyamsh July 23-25 at Greyhound Park and Event Center in Post Falls. It is the largest pow wow in the Pacific Northwest and celebrates Native American culture with song, dance, drumming, games and spirituality.
Coeur d'Alene is a busy place from July 30 to August 1 with Art on the Green, Street Fair and Taste of Coeur d'Alene, three events all within walking distance of each other.
Return to the 1880's at Gold Rush Daze in Murray August 20-22. The fun includes a parade, live music, car show, Saloon Girl Pagent and an old west shootout.
These are just a few of the many events that make summer in North Idaho a don't miss. Get a complete list at FYI North Idaho.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
North Idaho Parks, Part 2
Besides State Parks, there are a number of excellent parks in the cities of North Idaho. This series will cover a variety of parks in the area and this week we'll look at Coeur d'Alene's City Park.
Located on the north shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene and just a block from downtown, the Coeur d'Alene City Park is one of the most popular parks in North Idaho. How the park came about is another interesting piece of local history.
Much of the land now considered City Park, North Idaho College and the Fort Grounds residential neighborhood were in the boundaries of Fort Coeur d'Alene, later know as Fort Sherman. The fort was active from 1878 to 1898 and the town and later City of Coeur d'Alene built around it. By the turn of the century the fort was decommissioned and officially closed on March 9, 1900. Not long after that the land was auctioned off to the public.
One of the biggest local investors was wealthy lumberman Frederick Blackwell who came here in 1901. Blackwell and his partners built the Coeur d'Alene and Spokane Electric Railroad and started hourly trolley service between the cities in 1903. Like all good railroads, they built and promoted attractions to put passengers on the trains. By 1905 Blackwell Park had become 20 plus landscaped acres with walkways, fountains, flowers and over 250 different varieties of shade trees and was one of the most popular destinations of the Inland Northwest. A dance pavilion hosted a band five nights a week, and there was a baseball diamond, bath house and grandstand within the park. In 1909 a fatal head-on train wreck brought financial ruin and the rail line was sold to the Great Northern and the park to the City of Coeur d'Alene.
In 1937 a Civic Center was built to replace the pavilion and was touted as one of the largest log structures in the Pacific Northwest. Between bleachers and floor seating, the building could house 2,500 people. In 1942, after the construction of Farragut Naval Training Center, the building became a USO where thousands of sailors relaxed and were entertained. In 1945 it was set afire by a disgruntled (drunk?) sailor and burnt to the ground.
In 1942 Playland Pier opened on what is now known as Independence Point. For 33 years the amusement park and rides were a bonus to those visiting the Park or swimming at the beach. It burned in 1975.
Now, City Park is just as popular as ever. At 17 acres it offers families a wonderful place to spend the day. Fort Sherman Playground is a large, fenced area for smaller kids in the Park. Free concerts are held in the bandshell on summer Sundays. The basketball court was recently voted best outdoor court in the area by the readers of the Inlander. There are picnic tables throughout the Park, a shelter can be reserved by small groups, shade trees make for a cool summer day and the City Beach is considered part of the Park. The Park is a favorite spot to watch the 4th of July fireworks and is home of the Taste of the Coeur d'Alene in late July. City Park is also home of Ironman Village the end of June as the start and transition area for the annual Ironman Coeur d'Alene.
Pack a lunch, bring the kids and spend a day at Coeur d'Alene City Park.
Located on the north shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene and just a block from downtown, the Coeur d'Alene City Park is one of the most popular parks in North Idaho. How the park came about is another interesting piece of local history.
Much of the land now considered City Park, North Idaho College and the Fort Grounds residential neighborhood were in the boundaries of Fort Coeur d'Alene, later know as Fort Sherman. The fort was active from 1878 to 1898 and the town and later City of Coeur d'Alene built around it. By the turn of the century the fort was decommissioned and officially closed on March 9, 1900. Not long after that the land was auctioned off to the public.
One of the biggest local investors was wealthy lumberman Frederick Blackwell who came here in 1901. Blackwell and his partners built the Coeur d'Alene and Spokane Electric Railroad and started hourly trolley service between the cities in 1903. Like all good railroads, they built and promoted attractions to put passengers on the trains. By 1905 Blackwell Park had become 20 plus landscaped acres with walkways, fountains, flowers and over 250 different varieties of shade trees and was one of the most popular destinations of the Inland Northwest. A dance pavilion hosted a band five nights a week, and there was a baseball diamond, bath house and grandstand within the park. In 1909 a fatal head-on train wreck brought financial ruin and the rail line was sold to the Great Northern and the park to the City of Coeur d'Alene.
In 1937 a Civic Center was built to replace the pavilion and was touted as one of the largest log structures in the Pacific Northwest. Between bleachers and floor seating, the building could house 2,500 people. In 1942, after the construction of Farragut Naval Training Center, the building became a USO where thousands of sailors relaxed and were entertained. In 1945 it was set afire by a disgruntled (drunk?) sailor and burnt to the ground.
In 1942 Playland Pier opened on what is now known as Independence Point. For 33 years the amusement park and rides were a bonus to those visiting the Park or swimming at the beach. It burned in 1975.
Now, City Park is just as popular as ever. At 17 acres it offers families a wonderful place to spend the day. Fort Sherman Playground is a large, fenced area for smaller kids in the Park. Free concerts are held in the bandshell on summer Sundays. The basketball court was recently voted best outdoor court in the area by the readers of the Inlander. There are picnic tables throughout the Park, a shelter can be reserved by small groups, shade trees make for a cool summer day and the City Beach is considered part of the Park. The Park is a favorite spot to watch the 4th of July fireworks and is home of the Taste of the Coeur d'Alene in late July. City Park is also home of Ironman Village the end of June as the start and transition area for the annual Ironman Coeur d'Alene.
Pack a lunch, bring the kids and spend a day at Coeur d'Alene City Park.
Monday, April 19, 2010
North Idaho Parks, Part 1
North Idaho has many great parks. City parks enjoyed by children, family and community on a daily basis. State parks which are weekend wonderlands and used by locals and awestruck visitors. This column starts an ongoing series that will touch on a wide variety of North Idaho parks. And what better place to start than Old Mission State Park in Cataldo, where Idaho's oldest standing building proudly sits.
In the early 1800's Coeur d’Alene Indians heard about tribes being visited by "medicine men" with great powers and wanted to get in on it. They journeyed to St. Louis three times to invite the Blackrobes (Jesuit priests) to live among the tribe.
In 1842, Father Pierre-Jean De Smet traveled to the Coeur d'Alenes to meet and live with the tribe. An original mission site was selected along the St. Joe River about 35 miles from the present location, and was called the Mission of St. Joseph. The river repeatedly flooded the site so in 1846 the location was abandoned in favor of a high, grassy knoll overlooking the Coeur d’Alene River.
The Mission of the Sacred Heart was constructed between 1850 and 1853. It became a center hub and spiritual home for the Tribe. With the completion of the Mullan Road (within sight of the Mission) in the early 1860s, traffic grew from settlers and prospectors. The U.S. government decided to set up a reservation for the tribe but much to the dismay of the Coeur d'Alenes was that it was located near the south end of the lake. In 1877 the Tribe moved to what is now DeSmet and built another mission.
The Sacred Heart Mission at Cataldo was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1963. By the 1970's the building was beat down. The Idaho Bicentennial Commission took it on in 1974 and in 1975 it officially became Old Mission State Park.
Today the Park is a centerpiece in the history of North Idaho. Located at Exit 39 on I-90, the Mission is clearly visible to all who pass. As a State Park, a $5 vehicle pass is required but well worth that amount. An interpretive center with exhibits and multi media presentations walks visitors through the daily life of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and the story of the coming of the Blackrobes. On the site is the restored parish house, historic cemetery, nature trails and an audio walking tour is available.
But the crown jewel is the church itself. A walk around and inside the building provides a glimpse into the waddle and daub construction methods of 150 years ago. Built in 3 years by the Catholic missionaries and members of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe using only broad axe, auger, ropes and pulleys, a pen knife and an improvised whip saw, it was finished without using one single nail.
The Park is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, 7 days a week. Special events at the Mission include a Historic Skills Fair in July and the Feast of the Assumption Pilgrimage by the Coeur d'Alene Indians and the Annual Mountain Man Rendezvous in August. If you haven't visited old Mission State Park, make sure you put it on your list of things to do.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
