| Kootenai County
Kootenai
County established on December 22, 1864, by the Second Territorial Legislature
with Seneaquoteen, a trading post below Lake Pend Orielle, as the county seat.
It was the ninth county created in the Idaho territory, and the last one of the
first eight set up by the Territorial Legislature. Rathdrum replaced
Seneaquoteen as county seat in 1881 and Coeur d'Alene replaced Rathdrum in 1908.
It was named for the Kutenai Indians who inhabited the area when the white man
arrived. The word is derived from the Kutenai word meaning "water people."
County
Statistics
County
Seat: Coeur d'Alene
Population: 122,350
Kootenai County website
Interesting
Facts
Kootenai
County is Idaho's third most populated county and ranks twenty-third in area.
About 5.4 percent of the county is water and almost one-third of the county is
federal property. Recreation and tourism employment are important to the
economy as are trade and service jobs that support the north Idaho region.
Annual average total civilian employment grew 52.5 percent between 1990 and
1997.
Farragut
State Park began as a naval training center near the town of Athol at the south
end of big Lake Pend Oreille. In 1941, the U.S. Navy built the second-largest
naval training center in the world on this site at the foot of the Coeur d'Alene
Mountains. Over fifteen months during World War II, nearly 300,000 sailors
received basic training at Farragut Naval Training Station. After the war, the
site was a college before becoming a state park in 1965.
The Coeur
d'Alene area takes the title as Idaho's bed-and-breakfast capital, with more
than a dozen establishments providing homey hospitality and new ones opening all
the time.
Idaho's
Silver Valley, also known as the Coeur d'Alene Mining District, was the
undisputed world leader in silver, lead, and zinc production for more than a
century. By 1985, the region had produced one billion ounces of silver; the
total value of wealth from the mines had topped $5 billion.
The U.S.
government established a military post in Coeur d'Alene in 1879 on the
recommendation of General William Tecumseh Sherman. The government set aside 999
acres now occupied by North City Park and North Idaho College. Sherman named
the fort Coeur d'Alene, but on his death, it was renamed Ft. Sherman to honor
him. The town remained Coeur d'Alene.
The name
Coeur d'Alene was first given the Indians of the area by French fur trappers and
traders. it has been interpreted in a variety of ways: "awl," "pointed," or
"needle-hearted," for the shrewd trading ability of the Indians. The name was
transferred to the land and waters of the area. Sherman transferred it to the
fort, and it was then applied to the city.
The Cataldo
Mission, which is east of Coeur d'Alene, is the oldest standing building in
Idaho and was built in 1848 without the use of nails.
What To See
And Do
Coeur d'Alene's Old Mission State Park
:
The Mission
of Sacred Heart (also known as Cataldo Mission) is the oldest surviving building
in Idaho. Catholic missionaries and members of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe built
the mission between 1848 and 1853 without nails. The walls measure one foot in
thickness. A visitors center offers a walking audio tour tape. The park
features the mission building, a restored Parish House and an historic cemetery.
Fort Sherman
was built
in 1880 as a means of keeping the peace in the area between the Coeur d'Alene
Indians and the settlers of the area. The fort's, which now rests on the North
Idaho College Campus, Powder Magazine building was turned into a museum on July
28, 1973, to preserve and showcase the unique history of the area. The Fort
Sherman Chapel is the oldest building in Coeur d'Alene.
The
mission of the
Museum of North Idaho is to educate the community and
visitors about the history of the Coeur d'Alene region. To achieve its mission
the Museum has a comprehensive collection of artifacts and materials that
reflect the history of the area. The collection is preserved, exhibited and is
available to the general public and researchers according to professional museum
standards.
Famous Kootenai County Natives and Residents
Gregory
"Pappy" Boyington
(1912-1988) was one of the most decorated American fighter pilots. During World
War II, he commanded the famous U.S. Marine Corps squadron known as The Black
Sheep Squadron, and shot down 26 planes in the Pacific theater. Boyington was
shot down on his last combar mission and spent 20 months as a prisoner of war in
Japan. He was awarded the Navy Cross and the Medal of Honor. Boyington was born
in Coeur d'Alene. In September 2007, the airport in Coeur d'Alene was renamed
Coeur d'Alene-Pappy Boyington Field after Boyington.
Joseph
Garry
(1910-1976) was born on the Coeur d'Alene Reservation in Idaho. He was a
schoolteacher and became the Tribal Chairman of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. He
served in that position for 20 years. He also served as president of the
National Congress of American Indians, which is the nation's largest Native
American group. In 1956, he was elected as a state representative, making him
the first Native American in Idaho's legislature. He was named Outstanding
Indian in North America twice during his lifetime.
(Sources
include The Idaho Blue Book, 2005-2006, Insiders' Guide: The Idaho Panhandle,
Idaho Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary; Idaho Off The Beaten Path, County
Profiles of Idaho.) |
