Benewah County
Benewah
County, Idaho's 34th county, was established on January 23, 1915, with its
county seat at St. Maries, by an act of the state legislature from the southern
part of Kootenai County. It was named for a Coeur d'Alene Indian chief. Some
settlement began after the completion of the Mullan Road in 1860, but most
settlers came to the area after the discovery of gold near St. Maries in 1880.
County
statistics
County
Seat: St. Maries
Population: 8,961
Interesting
Facts
Benewah
County borders Washington State. It is the 29th most populated county and ranks
34th in area. Only 10 percent of the county is owned by the federal government.
The foundation of the local economy are forest and wood products.
Benewah
County is home to the Couer d'Alene Tribe and the Couer d'Alene Indian
Reservation.
St. Maries
is located at the confluence of the St. Joe and St. Maries rivers. In 1843,
Father Pierre-Jean DeSmet founded a mission there for the Coeur d'Alene Indians.
St. Maries
was named by Father DeSmet, who pronounced the name "St. Mary's" because "so
many favors have induced us unanimously to give her name to our new residence."
The town was incorporated in 1902.
What To See
And Do
Couer
d'Alene Indian Reservation:
Covers a large area in Benewah County.
Crystal Gold Mine: An authentic 1880s underground gold
mine, located in Kellogg and open year-round.
Rider
Ranch: Provides trail rides and guides on a working ranch
near Coeur d'Alene. Chuckwagon dinner rides are also available.
Sierra
Silver Mine Tour:
Learn about the methods and techniques of hard rock mining on an underground
tour of this mine in Wallace. Open May through September.
St. Joe's
River:
Provides boating, hiking and fishing opportunities. You can spend an afternoon
floating down the river or hiking into the mountains.
White Pines
Scenic Byway:
This 83-mile drive along the St. Marties and St. Joe Rivers offers panoramic
views of farm land, extensive forests, rivers and mountains.
(Sources
include The Idaho Blue Book, 2005-2006; Idaho Place Names: A Geographical
Dictionary; County Profiles of Idaho.) |
