An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 195

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1524

USA > Idaho > Kootenai County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 195
USA > Idaho > Nez Perce County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 195
USA > Idaho > Shoshone County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 195
USA > Idaho > Latah County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 195

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The school district is No. 13, and the first school house, which is still the only school building, was built in 1890. It consists of two rooms. The first teacher was Miss Haines. The present teachers are Mrs. Piersons and Miss Barbara Hage. The school board consists of H. L. Bidwell, John Larsen and Moses Cookson. There is one church, the Congregational, of which Rev. Victor Roth, of Clark's Fork, is the pastor. The different lodges are well represented in Hope. They are as follows: Foresters, M. W. A., Order of Pindo, Hope Federation of Labor, (Chas. Smith, president ), the I. O. O. F. (J. W. Ramsay, N. G .: E. J. Phelps, V. G .: H. L. Bidwell, secretary ; Alex. Quirie, treasurer ), the A. O. U. W. (H. L. Bid- well, P. M .; E. H. North, M. W .; D. C. Rowell, re- corder ; H. L. Bidwell, financier ), D. of H. (Emma Sherman, P. C. of H .: Nettie Hooning. C. of H .; Mabel Crandall, L. of H .; Mamie Rowell, financier ; Ella Brewer, recorder), the Rebekahs (P. N. G., Emma Wanamaker ; N. G., Ella Brewer ; V. G., Mabel Crandall : secretary, Thomas Thompson : treasurer, K. Wanamaker).

The citizens and business men of Hope are enter- prising and they take a deep interest in all matters tending to promote the welfare of their town. The business directory of the town at present would include a postoffice, John Larsen, postmaster; two hotels, Prescott House, Mrs. Thomas Davey, and the Lake Side N. P. railroad hotel, Charles J. Jenkins, man- ager : two restaurants, Jos. Jeannot and Edwin Leet ; three barber shops, H. L. Bidwell, who owns a shop and employs a barber, Jef. Tigue and James C. Davis ; meat market, Fred Hartman; general store, L. H. Jeannot, who kept a restaurant until 1893: Lumber Company blacksmith shop; drug store, A. H. Allen ; shingle and lath mill, O. W. Perkins & Company ; Mark T. Loop is the only physician ; Robert W. Mor- ris is the railroad, express and telepraph agent ; Grant Sherman and J. Sladin are expressmen; Nathan G. Sisson and Kline Wanamaker have general stores ; Twin Woo Company, Chinese goods, Donavon. Hop- kins & Nineman are general dealers; Frank Albaugh will soon put up a building for a meat market ; H. L. Bidwell and John Dooley are justices of the peace.

The establishment of the Hope Lumber Company in 1001 infused new life into Hope. The company, composed of experienced lumbermen from Michigan, got the mill in operation in November. The plant is conveniently located on the lake just east of the sta- tion. and is a band saw mill, with lath and planing mills. In its construction the most experienced mill- wrights were employed, and most modern and labor- saving machinery used, and the result is the model mill of the country. The planing mill, as a protection against fire. is detached, power being transmitted from the engine house by means of steel cables. The whole premises are lighted by electric lights. The company started up the mill with a stock of over twenty million

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HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

feet of logs in the pond. They have now five million feet of lumber, of which three million is white pine. One hundred men are regularly employed. A night crew has been put on and one hundred thousand feet of lumber is turned out every twenty-four hours. O. M. Field is the president of the company ; W. F. Nin- neman, secretary and treasurer ; Will Ninneman, man- ager.

Considerable prospecting has been done in the vicin- ity of Hope. and valuable discoveries made in the Black Tail and Lakeview districts, which are located from fifteen to twenty miles to the south, and also in the mining regions of Trestle creek and Granite creek. The Panhandle Mining Company, the Park River Min- ing Company, the Pend Oreille Mining Company and Tilsey & Tanner Mining Company own mineral properties in this vicinity.

Hope has a population of about five hundred, but with mineral wealth susceptible of great future de- velopment and exceptional railroad facilities, it is des- tined to become a supply point of considerable im- portance.

CLARK'S FORK.

In a fertile valley between the Cabinet mountains on the north and the foothills of the Coeur d'Alene range on the south is the thriving little village of Clark's Fork. It has an elevation of two thousand feet, fine climate, good soil and good water. Two beautiful creeks flow through the suburbs of the town, which in time will furnish large supplies of water for the future city. Gardening is successfully carried on, a variety of fruits extensively raised and farms are cultivated along the banks of the river, the farmer finding a home market for all his products. But this region is as prolific in mining and lumber as in agri- cultural products. There are millions of feet of the finest timber, composed of pine, fir, cedar and tamarack, growing along the streams and on the mountain sides, and within a radius of twenty-five miles are many valuable mines. In 1890 the trail over the Cabinet mountains to Madison on the upper Kootenai river opened up new mineral prospects, where was found fine galena ore. The mines on Mosquito creek were also vigorously worked and large shipments of valuable ore sent to Helena smelter with good returns.

Amongst the names recorded in the earliest annals of the town we find that of J. G. Nagel, who was first postmaster in 1884; later, in 1891, Nagel, Whitcomb & Company had a sawmill and general store, and in 1897 Mr. Nagel put up a shingle and planing mill, which was run by steam power. In 1884 two shingle mills were owned and operated by Casey & McHugh and James Ewart. A. B. Railton and M. P. Steys- haus were early settlers who did much to attract home- steaders to the vicinity. A contest between J. E. White, who took up a homestead in 1895, and the com- missioners of the general landoffice, was decided in 1899, in favor of White, and entitled him to his home- stead entry on land now embraced in the town of Clark's Fork. A list of the present business houses of

the town would include the following : Two general merchandise stores, those of John W. White and Whit- comb Brothers, the last mentioned being a two-story building, of which the upper part is a hall ; two hotels,. John Reed and Gordon Dougherty ; the Columbia Min- ing Company ; the Copper King Mining Company ; the Grand Copper Mining Company; the Leona Mining Company. There are two religious organizations, the Free Methodists and the Congregationalists. The former have a church building and Rev. H. S. Yockey is the pastor. The latter worship in the school house and Rev. V. W. Roth is the pastor. Mrs. Roth is the present postmistress. A good school is well sup- ported, the school building having two rooms below and a hall upstairs. Two teachers are employed, Coral Paxson and Miss Rosa Kennedy.

The present population of the town is about two hundred. It is situated three miles from Lake Pend Oreille, ninety-five from Spokane and sixty-five from Rathdrum. the county seat.

It has been said of Clark's Fork that "it is a good place for both rich and poor to live in," a sentiment readily understood by those who are acquainted with its resources and the enterprise of its citizens.

PORTHILL.

Porthill is the most northern station on the Kootenai Valley railroad in the United States. It is about twenty-five miles north of Bonner's Ferry and about one hundred and thirty miles northeast of Spo- kane. It is distant from Rathdrum, the county seat, about one hundred and twenty-five miles. The inter- national boundary line separating the United States and British Columbia runs about two hundred yards north of the postoffice and general store building of French & Barnes. The town was formerly known as Ockonook (the Indian name for rocky point). This name was given it by Maj. J. I. Barnes in 1893. In. the spring of that year the United States government established a port of import here, and Major Barnes was sent as a customs collector. The postoffice was established the same year, and Major Barnes was made postmaster. He afterward opened a general merchandise store, which he conducted until the time of his death, in 1898.

David McLaughlin, a son of John Mclaughlin, in early days governor of the Hudson's Bay Co., and closely identified with the first settlements of "Old Oregon," squatted on land here over forty years ago. The present townsite occupies a portion of the old McLaughlin claim. Mr. Mclaughlin until recently lived in a log cabin close to the boundary line, and about one-fourth of a mile from the Porthill postoffice ; he died May 5th, of the present year. In 1892 C. P. Hill located a mineral claim on the Mclaughlin place, and the townsite was laid out on this land, a one-third interest in which was given to Mr. McLaugh- lin.

Porthill is located on what was once the Hudson's. Bay Company trail from Bonner's Ferry to Ft. Steel, B. C., afterwards the trail used by the miners in the

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HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

rush to the Wild Horse mines in British Columbia, in the early sixties. The town occupies a table land on the slope of the foothills of the Cabinet range of mountains, and is on the east bank of the Kootenai river. At the present time it has a population of less than one hundred, and immediate prospects of substantial and material growth are not especially good. It has real advantages of location, however, that will in the future be improved. The site is a good one and there is room in abundance for a large city. There are good mineral prospects which, when transportation facilities are provided, will be tributary to this point. Within a radius of twenty-five miles from Porthill there are a number of promising mineral claims, among them what is known as the Continental mine. Ores have been mined showing assays of fifty dollars per ton in silver and lead. But transportation facilities are lacking, and the development of the mineral re- sources must await the investment of capital in rail- roads. The soil of the valley of the Kootenai river is rich and very productive. In this valley are immense areas of agricultural land that will some day be put under cultivation, and when that day comes Porthill will be the center of an extensive and wealthy farm- ing community. At the present time the Kootenai river overflows the whole valley each year, and this great area is practically useless, except in some loca- tions for the production of hay. Porthill occupies a central location in a section, part of which is in the United States and the remainder in British Columbia, that is wealthy in resources, and when their develop- ment begins the town will begin to grow.

Among the early settlers here, besides those already named. were William Hall, who took up the place known as Hale's Rranch, where it is said a distillery was operated in early days, supplying the miners and others with stimulants; and Mrs. M. C. Barnes, the present postmistress, who came here with her husband in 1893. For two years Mrs. Barnes was the only white woman in the settlement. A. P. Whitney came here in 1897, from Bonner's Ferry, and opened the Whitney hotel. A little later the Montgomery brothers,- Marion, Thomas and Z .- settled here. G. H. Finrow & Company also opened a general store. The Ocko- nook general store was established by Maj. J. I. Barnes in 1892. H. A. French and Mrs. M. C. Barnes now conduct the business. Mr. French is justice of the peace.

A school house was erected in 1896 and the first school term was taught by Miss Agnes McRay. At present the school is in charge of Prof. Thomas Hy- dorn, who has about thirty pupils enrolled. The mem- bers of the school board are C. S. Smith, chairman ; Mrs. M. C. Barnes, clerk ; and E. Osborn.

The officers in charge of the United States customs station are Otis F. Warren and William Ryan. Mr. Ryan was formerly sheriff of Kootenai county. Will- iam B. Thews, United States immigrant inspector, is also stationed here. The principal imports on which duties are collected at Porthill are coal, coke and ores. Sone idea of the receipts of the customs office may be had from a knowledge of the fact that in April and

May, 1900. duties were collected on $311,949 worth of lead ore alone. Before the construction of the K. V. R. R., in 1899, from Bonner's Ferry to Kusko- nook, .B. C., these shipments entered the United States by way of the Kootenai river, and the duties were collected at Bonner's Ferry, which is at the head of navigation on that river. When the railroad was built the company named the station Porthill, and in 1900 the postoffice name of Ockonook was dropped and Porthill substituted. Mail is still carried by stage to and from Bonners Ferry.

Interest has but recently developed in the resources of this section. But very little has yet been accom- plished by agriculturalists, and less by miners. Prog- ress has thus far been very slow, owing to discourag- ing conditions, which still exist. A good many In- dians from the Kootenai and other tribes occupy some of the lands, and while a few of them cultivate farms in crude fashion and engage in a small way in stock raising, they accomplish but little in the production of wealth and in the substantial development of the sec- tion. Present conditions, however, cannot long re- main unchanged, and the time will doubtless come in the near future when capital and the accompanying forces that revolutionize conditions, people the rural districts and build cities, will invade the boundary region. When these things take place Porthill will become a populous and thriving city.

LAKEVIEW.

Lakeview is one of the older mining settlements of Kootenai county. The history of the mines of this region will be found in the descriptive chapter. The first were located in 1888 by William Bell and others, who had been outfitted by Fred Weber and S. P. Don- nelly. The town started about the same time. The townsite locaters were Archie O'Donnel, Robert Roch- eford, George Macer, S. P. Donnelly and Fount Per- ry. It is situated at the head of Lake Pend Oreille, a little back from the shore. Its elevation is two thousand two hundred and eighty-five feet. A post- office was established in 1892, with Ernest Rammel- ineyer as postmaster. He served in this capacity until 1896, when he was succeeded by the present post-

master, W. H. Lyon. A general merchandise store was established in 1888 by a Mr. Shelton, who sold out to Robert Baldwin in 1890. Mr. Baldwin in turn sold out to G. B. Bannatter in 1896. Mr. Bannatter was succeeded in 1899 by Louis Eilert, who sold June 1, 1900, to W. H. Lyon, who still conducts the busi- ness and serves as postmaster.

School district number thirty-seven was formed here in 1896, and the first school board, appointed by Judge Melder, was composed of W. H. Lyon, Will- iam Preston and Robert Baldwin. There is a good school house and a good school is maintained each year. In 1900 Lakeview had a population of eighty- four. There are now something over one hundred and fifty residents. Boats ply from this point on the lake to Hope, making connections there with the Northern Pacific railroad. Boats also, carrying mails and

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HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

passengers, run daily to Steamboat Landing (now called Idlewilde) on the west, and from this place a stage line is operated to Athol, eight miles across the country, where connections are made with Northern Pacific trains. Lakeview is in the center of an ex- tensive mining region and does an immense amount of business in general merchandise and miners' sup- plies. The mines are becoming each year more pro- ductive, machinery is being introduced, shipping facili- ties, via the lake to Hope and Sandpoint, are being im- proved, and the town has every assurance of perma- nence and prosperity as a mining center.

ATHOL.

Athol has been platted on school section No. 16, township 53, range 3, W. B. M. The town was laid out by the state and as yet the citizens have no titles to their property. This is a matter that will soon be adjusted, however, and has in no way interfered with the progress of the town. In 1900 it was credited with a population of forty-eight, which has increased to something over one hundred. Athol is a station on the main line of the Northern Pacific railroad, ten miles northeast of Rathdrum. It is eight miles from Steamboat Landing, on Pend Oreille, on the east, and about the same distance from Spirit Lake, on the west. The surrounding country is heavily timbered and will make excellent agricultural land when eventu- ally cleared. Grains, vegetables and fruits grow abundantly where clearings have been made. Stock raising is also a profitable industry. Lumber manu- facturing is now the chief industry. A sawmill was built here in December, 1902, by Hackett & Wilson. In January, 1903, Huber Rasher and Charles King- man bought an interest in the plant. It is now owned and officered by Huber Rasher, president, R. L. Hack- ett, vice-president, and Charles Kingman, secretary. The mill has a capacity of twenty-five thousand feet per day.

A store of general merchandise is owned by S. H. Watkins : Butler Bros. conduct a drug store ; the Pacific hotel is owned by George Balters : Horsler & Wike have a general store; Snyder & Williams run a blacksmith and wood shop; James J. Dumar is post- master ; R. N. Studley has a restaurant ; J. A. Williams is manager of the Athol Mercantile Company ; a feed barn is owned by Hilbert & Studley ; a hall has been erected by the Athol Improvement Company, in which the I. O. O. F. have a controlling interest. The Meth- odists have a good church building, which was put up in 1900; Rev. C. T. Coon is pastor of the congre- gation : the Baptists are about to erect a building ; their services are now conducted by Rev. C. M. Hurt and Rev. C. C. Hand. The public schools were taught the past year by Professor Daniel Van Duzer, former- ly county superintendent of schools.

The first settlers at Athol were the railroad sec- tion foremen, S. and P. L. Bennett, who were sent here shortly after the track was laid. Aside from these the first permanent settler was A. H. Noble, who took up a homestead, which adjoins the townsite, in

1892. The postoffice was established in 1895, with I. I^. Irons, postmaster. The pioneer business man is S. H. Watkins, who opened his store in 1895. A school house was built in 1902 ; before its construction school was taught in the M. E. church building, the first teacher being a Miss Moss. The first minister located at Athol was Rev. Hobson, now of Coeur d'Alene. Early in the history of the village lodges of the I. O. O. F. and M. W. A. were organized, and they now have a membership of eighty and forty, respectively.

Athol is far enough removed from the neighboring business centers-Rathdrum and Sandpoint-to make a good town. There are extensive heavily timbered areas all around the town and the development of the timber industry is certain to bring men and mills to the locality. Its shipping facilities are good and in time it will receive splendid support from the farming areas which are yearly becoming more extensive and more productive. Athol is certain to grow into a thriving business center.

HAUSER.

Hauser is the junction of the main line with the Coeur d'Alene branch of the Northern Pacific railroad. It is twenty-one miles east of Spokane and six miles southwest of Rathdrum, the county seat of Kootenai county. It is in the Spokane valley, or what is termed locally Rathdrum prairie, about midway between Mud Lake on the north and Spokane river on the south. The surrounding lands are largely agricultural and some of the best ranches in the county are in this vicinity. Its proximity to Post Falls, which is only about five miles away, has retarded progress at Hauser in a business way, but to the north and west is quite a large expanse of territory that must when fully set- tled become in a measure tributary to the town, and consequently there is reason to believe that it will in the future become a thriving village.

Settlements were made here as early as 1880, but in 1900 it was credited with a population of only thirty-eight. E. P. Manor, now of Rathdrum, was one of the early settlers and business men. He moved his business to Rathdrum in 1894.

The main line of the railroad and its branch afford great shipping facilities. John Cogan is the present postmaster. He also conducts a general merchandise store. The town is pleasantly situated, with the prairie stretching away to the east and west and the mountains rising on the north and south. There is an abundance of timber land to the north that is valuable not alone for the timber, but for its productive qualities when cleared. It is a desirable location for home builders, and adjoining lands on all sides are being rapidly settled.

CAMAS COVE, TYSON, SANTA, FERNWOOD, EMIDA AND CLARKIA.

In 1895 the Tyson brothers, James, Henry and George, located in the southeastern part of Kootenai county, on land which now includes the town site of

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HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

Tyson. Their property is located on Tyson creek, for- merly known as Ridue creek. The Tysons purchased the land of S. B. Richie, who had several years previ- ously taken it up as a homestead. The surrounding country is now known as the Camas Cove mining district. It is a sheltered cove in the mountains about five miles square, and took its name from the camas root, whch is abundant here. It is on the southern slope of the mountain range which forms the divide between the St. Joe and St. Maries rivers. Here the Tyson brothers engaged in stock raising for two years before having any knowledge of the presence of gold on their land. In 1897 Burt Renfro found on the place a piece of float that contained gold. After this find James and Henry Tyson began prospecting. Their first discovery was the War Eagle, now one of the richest mines in the district. A little later rich placer discoveries were made, causing a great deal of excitement and resulting in a rush of miners and prospectors. A large camp was soon formed, and since that time there has been continued development of the mining properties and the establishment of a thriving mining town, which was very naturally named Tyson.

Tyson is located about eighteen miles southeast of St. Maries in the heart of the mining district. In five years it has developed from a stock ranch to a well populated town. The placer mines have yielded many thousands of dollars to their owners and the development of the quartz claims is well under way. Stores and hotels have been opened. There is a post- office and a good school. A saw mill has been erected and a stamp mill is contemplated. Regular stages run between Tyson and St. Maries, and a telephone line connects the town with outside points. Among those now residing here who were here when the first mineral discoveries were made are the Tyson brothers, Burt Renfro, H. Desgranges, Joe Dugan, A. C. Schrader, C. J. Cole, J. W. McNeil and Peter Desgranges. There are now about two hundred people in and about the town.

The most valuable claims now being worked are the War Eagle, Gold Nugget and Sixteen to One, located by James Tyson. The Gold Nugget has yielded to date upwards of seventy-five thousand dollars. There are also the Bluebird, Topping's Ironclad, and the Kelly Corbin claims. The Richmond Group consists of five claims, owned by the Richmond Gold Mining and Mill- ing Company, of which J. W. McNeil is manager. The Ironclad is owned by Charles Topping and W. H. Haverland.

The town of Tyson is in a beautiful valley and has many advantages of location which insure its per- manence. The town site was patented by James Tyson in January, 1901, and the lots have nearly all been sold at prices ranging from forty dollars to one hun- dred dollars each. An addition to this original site has been platted and is now being sold out. Ex- perienced mining men have invested here and have faith in the future of the mining industry. Every indication is that Tyson will grow in population and in importance as a mining center.

Santa is three miles north of Tyson, fifty miles

south of Rathdrum, and twenty-five miles east of Farm- ington, Washington. It is connected by stage with St. Maries, fifteen miles down the river. It has a population of about fifty. It is a distributing point for logging camps located in the surrounding forests. The saw mills of Harrison and Coeur d'Alene have installed logging camps in this section that give em- ployment to upwards of one thousand men. The St. Joe Improvement Company has built a dam on the St. Maries river four miles below Santa, which has greatly increased rafting facilities. About one hundred thousand dollars have been spent in river improve- ments in this region, and last season's output of logs amounted to about twenty million feet. Ranchers are settled all along the St. Maries river and many of them trade at Santa. A town site has been platted by S. T. Renfro. H. H. Renfro is postmaster, and has a general store. The Elk Hotel is conducted by W. Jones and Everett Markham. There is also a blacksmith shop and livery barn owned by B. Walkup. The timbered areas are immense here and there is also a good deal of agricultural land, and as the territory needs the town as a dstributing point, Santa is likely to grow and become prosperous. Fernwood is a settlement four miles west of Santa. C. D. McGregor has secured a town site patent. It is in the midst of a splendid forest of saw timber. J. K. Hord has established a general store, and a hotel is conducted by Mrs. Blair. Game is plentiful here, including bear, cougar, deer, elk, grouse, and pheasants. Emida is a small settlement ten miles west of Santa. There are about fifty people here. A general store is conducted by Hugh East. Clarkia is another small postoffice in the extreme southeast corner of the county. It is on the upper St. Maries river, sixty miles southeast of Rathdrum.

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An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 195

Author: Publication date: 1903 Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1524

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1524