Palouse National Forest

Last updated

The Palouse Forest Reserve and after March 4, 1907, the Palouse National Forest was established by Presidential Proclamation (34 U.S. Statutes at Large 3293) on March 2, 1907 and was one of President Theodore Roosevelt's Midnight forests, created before the federal law banning new forest reserves in six western states, including Idaho, became effective.

The conventional wisdom has the name 'palouse' being derived from the French term for the large treeless plain region in eastern Washington stretching into Idaho: the Palouse, a word meaning grassy spot or place. However, Boone says that the name could originate from the name of a major village of Palouse Indians, Palus, located at the confluence of the Palouse and Snake Rivers. 'Palus' is the Sachapin Indian word for "something sticking down in the water," in this case the something was a large rock, thought to be a beaver's heart, and which had an important religious significance for the Palouse Indians. [1]

The Palouse National Forest had its administrative headquarters in the town of Wallace, Idaho for its 15-month existence and was administered by the U.S. Forest Service with 194,404 acres (786.73 km2). [2] With the issuance of Executive Order 843 by President Roosevelt on June 26, 1908, with an effective date of July 1, 1908, the entire forest was absorbed by the Coeur d'Alene National Forest and the area ceased to be an independently administered national forest. The lands of the former Palouse National Forest were then administered as part of the Coeur d'Alene National Forest for three years before being combined with other lands to establish the St. Joe National Forest on July 1, 1911. The area of the former Palouse National Forest formed the western portion of the St. Joe National Forest. Once transferred in 1911, the area of the Palouse National Forest became the Palouse Ranger District of the St. Joe National Forest and is still considered part of the St. Joe National Forest. However, it has been administered by the Clearwater National Forest since the 1973 administrative merger of the Kaniksu National Forest, Coeur d'Alene, and St. Joe National Forests into the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. [3]

Related Research Articles

Kootenai County, Idaho U.S. county in Idaho

Kootenai County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. In 2018, the United States Census Bureau estimated the county's population at 161,505, making it the third-most populous county in Idaho. The county seat and largest city is Coeur d'Alene. The county was established in 1864 and named after the Kootenai tribe.

Inland Northwest Area in the Northwest United States

The Inland Northwest—historically and alternatively known as the Inland Empire—is a region of the Northwest centered on the Greater Spokane Area, that includes all of Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Northeastern Oregon and Western Montana are also sometimes considered part of the Inland Northwest, although Western Montana generally is not considered part of the Inland Empire. Under some definitions, the Inland Empire also excludes Central Washington or Idaho County, Idaho.

Palouse region of Northwestern United States

The Palouse is a distinct geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of north central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and, by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primarily producing wheat and legumes. Situated about 160 miles (260 km) north of the Oregon Trail, the region experienced rapid growth in the late 19th century.

Coeur dAlene people ethnic group

The Coeur d'Alene are a Native American nation and one of five federally recognized tribes in the state of Idaho.

Clearwater National Forest National forest in Idaho, United States

Clearwater National Forest with headquarters on the Nez Perce Reservation at Kamiah is located in North Central Idaho in the northwestern United States. The forest is bounded on the east by the state of Montana, on the north by the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, and on the south and west by the Nez Perce National Forest and Palouse Prairie.

Palouse people Native American group of Northwestern USA

The Palouse are a Sahaptin tribe recognized in the Treaty of 1855 with the United States along with the Yakama. It was negotiated at the 1855 Walla Walla Council. A variant spelling is Palus. Today they are enrolled in the federally recognized Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation and some are also represented by the Colville Confederated Tribes.

Idaho Panhandle Region of Idaho

The Idaho Panhandle—locally known as North Idaho—is a region in the U.S. state of Idaho encompassing the state's 10 northernmost counties: Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, and Shoshone. The Panhandle is bordered by the state of Washington to the west, Montana to the east, and the Canadian province of British Columbia to the north. The Idaho panhandle, along with Eastern Washington, comprises the region known as the Inland Northwest. Coeur d'Alene is the largest city within the Idaho Panhandle. Spokane, Washington is around 30 miles (48 km) west of Coeur d'Alene, and is also the location of the regional airport, Spokane International Airport. Other important cities in the region include Lewiston, Moscow, Post Falls, Hayden, Sandpoint, and the smaller towns of St. Maries and Bonners Ferry. East of Coeur d'Alene is the Silver Valley, which follows Interstate 90 to the Montana border at Lookout Pass.

Kaniksu National Forest

The Kaniksu National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in northeastern Washington, the Idaho panhandle, and northwestern Montana. It is one of three forests that are aggregated into the Idaho Panhandle National Forests, along with the Coeur d'Alene National Forest and St. Joe National Forest. Kaniksu National Forest has a total area of 1,627,833 acres (6,587.6 km2). About 55.7% is in Idaho, 27.9% in Montana, and 16.4% in Washington.

Coeur dAlene National Forest

The Coeur d'Alene is a U.S. National Forest located in the Idaho panhandle and is one of three forests that are aggregated into the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. Coeur d'Alene National Forest is located in Shoshone, Kootenai, and Bonner counties in northern Idaho. It has a total area of 726,362 acres.

St. Joe National Forest National Forest in Idaho, United States

The St. Joe National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in the Idaho panhandle and is one of three forests that are aggregated into the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. In descending order of land area St. Joe National Forest is located in parts of Shoshone, Latah, Clearwater, and Benewah counties. It has a total area of 867,882 acres (3,512 km2).\

Idaho Panhandle National Forests

The Idaho Panhandle National Forests are a jointly administered set of three national forests located mostly in the U.S. state of Idaho. In 1973, major portions of the Kaniksu, Coeur d'Alene, and St. Joe National Forests were combined to be administratively managed as the Idaho Panhandle National Forests (IPNF). The IPNF consists of more than 2.5 million acres of public lands in the panhandle of north Idaho, with small areas extending into eastern Washington (4.7%) and western Montana (1.2%). The northernmost portion of the IPNF share a boundary with Canada. The Forest Supervisor's office is located in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho with district office's in Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint, Priest River, Fernan and Smelterville, and St. Maries and Avery.

Old Mission State Park

Coeur d'Alene's Old Mission State Park is a heritage-oriented state park in North Idaho, preserving the Mission of the Sacred Heart, or Cataldo Mission, national historic landmark. The park contains the church itself, the parish house, and the surrounding property. Built 1850–1853, Mission of the Sacred Heart is the oldest standing building in Idaho. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961, and put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.

Saint Joe River river in the United States of America

The Saint Joe River is a 140-mile (225 km) long tributary of Coeur d'Alene Lake in northern Idaho. Beginning at an elevation of 6,487 feet (1,977 m) in the Northern Bitterroot Range of eastern Shoshone County, it flows generally west through the Saint Joe River Valley and the communities of Avery and Calder. Past Calder, it flows into Benewah County and through the town of St. Maries, where it receives its largest tributary, the Saint Maries River. It then turns northwest, passing through Heyburn State Park before reaching its mouth just north of the Kootenai County line. Much of the river's route through Heyburn State Park is partially flooded due to raised water levels from the Washington Water Power dam at Post Falls on the Spokane River below Coeur d'Alene Lake. With a mouth elevation of 2,129 feet (648.9 m), it is the highest navigable river in the world.

Heyburn State Park

Heyburn State Park is a public recreation area in the U.S. state of Idaho. It is located almost entirely in Benewah County, with a small portion extending into southern Kootenai County. The park was founded in 1908 and is the oldest state or provincial park in the Pacific Northwest. The park has 5,744 acres (23.2 km2) of land and 2,332 acres (9.4 km2) of water on three lakes: Benewah, Chatcolet, and Hidden. A dam constructed on the Spokane River in Post Falls in 1906 raised the level of Lake Coeur d'Alene, connecting it to the park's three lakes. The surface elevation of the lakes is 2,125 feet (648 m) above sea level. The park's year-round recreational opportunities include camping, boating, hiking, horseback riding, fishing, and picnicking.

Emida, Idaho Town in the United States

Emida is a small unincorporated community in Benewah County, Idaho, United States, located on the east side of State Highway 6.

Battle of Spokane Plains

The Battle of Spokane Plains was a battle during the Coeur d'Alene War of 1858 in the Washington Territory in the United States. The Coeur d'Alene War was part of the Yakima War, which began in 1855. The battle was fought west of Fort George Wright near Spokane, Washington, between elements of the United States Army and a coalition of Native American tribes consisting of Kalispel, Palus, Schitsu'umsh, Spokan, and Yakama warriors.

Spokane and Inland Empire Railroad

The Spokane and Inland Empire Railroad Company (S.&I.E.R.R.Co.) was an electrified interurban railway operating in Spokane, Washington and vicinity, extending into northern and central Idaho. The system originated in several predecessor roads beginning c. 1890, incorporated in 1904, and ran under its own name to 1929. It merged into the Great Northern Railway and later, the Burlington Northern Railroad, which operated some roads into the 1980s.

Idaho v. United States, 533 U.S. 262 (2001), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that the United States, not the state of Idaho, held title to lands submerged under Lake Coeur d'Alene and the St. Joe River, and that the land was held in trust for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe as part of its reservation, and in recognition of the importance of traditional tribal uses of these areas for basic food and other needs.

Steamboats on Lake Coeur dAlene

Steam navigation on Lake Coeur d'Alene lasted from the 1880s to the 1930s. More steamboats operated on Lake Coeur d’Alene than on any other lake west of the Great Lakes. The high point of steam navigation was probably from 1908 to 1913. After that railroads, and increasingly automobile and truck traffic on newly built highways supplanted steam navigation, although some vessels continued to be operated until the mid-1930s.

References

  1. Boone, Lalia Phipps (1988), Idaho Place Names, a Geographical Dictionary, Moscow, Idaho: University of Idaho Press|
  2. Land Areas of the National Forest System (shtml)
  3. Davis, Richard C. (September 29, 2005), National Forests of the United States (PDF), The Forest History Society