A Brief History

About 17,00 years ago, a glacial lake stretching from the east edge of Idaho to Missoula broke at the ice dam at the south end of Lake Pend O'Reille.  The series of catastrophic floods transformed much of the area to the west, creating prairies, basins and lakes including Spirit Lake, which formed when a gravel bar from the flood blocked Brickel Creek.

Surrounded by majestic alpine forests, Spirit Lake got its name from the native people who inhabited the area for thousands of years before American settlers arrived. Called Tesemini in the Salishan language, a loose interpretation of the word would be “Lake of the Spirits,” or Spirit Lake.

There are several explanations for the name.  The legend on the mural in Little Park  seems to come from a section of Hiawatha and the lover's leap-- rather than marry the chief’s son from another tribe, a Native American princess and her brave leaped from a cliff into the lake and were never seen again. Their spirits call to each other through the lake canyons on windy fall evenings.   A more likely legend says that a canoe full of natives disappeared on the lake,  resulting in avoiding the lake from the bad memories.

While a number of colorful characters inhabited the shores of Spirit Lake in the late 1800s, it wasn’t until Fredrick Blackwell decided to make it the home base for his operations that the town began to grow and prosper. Blackwell is credited with starting passenger train service between Spokane and Newport, incorporating the Panhandle Lumber Company and in 1907 platting out the land parcels that would become the Village of Spirit Lake.

By the end of 1908, Blackwell’s Idaho & Washington Northern Railroad had two trains arriving and departing Spirit Lake each day. More than a thousand people lived in the town, which had already established a school, an opera house, a hospital and a newspaper. Numerous hotels, boarding houses and other businesses sprang up along Maine Street, appealing to both residents and tourists. The Kootenai County Republican Convention was held in the fledgling town and the first Independence Day celebration took place on Maine, a tradition that has continued to this day. Before too long, Spirit Lake had become a popular retreat for wealthy Spokane residents who built summer homes around the lake.

Although tourism was a major draw for the area, without a doubt the lifeblood of the town was Blackwell’s lumber mill. The Panhandle Lumber Company employed more than 500 people and in the first six months of operation, workers cut 27 million board feet of lumber. In addition to his lumber company, Blackwell employed people at his railroad shops, which included a machine shop, a foundry and sheet metal shop, a railway car maintenance and paint shop, a coal and sand house, and a carpenter shop. Spirit Lake also boasted one of the most beautiful train depots. While only a fountain and staircase remain at the train depot, the foundations of the railroad shops can still be seen at the northeast end of the mill pond.

But far from becoming a ghost town, Spirit Lake remained home to several thriving businesses: grocery stores, camping resorts, a pharmacy, barbershops, cafés and bars, including the Whitehorse Saloon, the oldest licensed bar in the entire state. Tourists began to rediscover the historic logging town and in the early 1970s, the mill site for the Panhandle Lumber Company was converted into a 50-lot subdivision, helping to cement Spirit Lake as an emerging bedroom community for Coeur d’Alene and Spokane.

Through the years as the population grows and changes, Spirit Lake continues to reinvent itself. Now known as a great place to raise a family, the town has three top rated schools and a growing list of award-winning students. This quality education is complimented by the vast array of outdoor activities for both children and adults to enjoy. Biking, fishing, hunting, boating, summer sport leagues, nearby golf, skiing, and disc golf are just a few of the reasons why people like to come play and spend the day – or make it a permanent home.

Come discover what thousands have already learned. Spend a day in Spirit Lake and make memories that will last a lifetime.