Museum of North Idaho opens for season

COEUR d'ALENE - If you trace the origin of the last name Johnson around Coeur d'Alene, or the prevalence of the Lutheran church in the area, it comes from North Idaho's Scandinavian foundation.

Fleeing their Nordic countries at the turn of the 20th century, many Scandinavians landed in North Idaho searching for opportunities.

And because it reminded them of home.

"One quarter of Sweden's population immigrated to America," said Dorothy Dahlgren, director of the Museum of North Idaho. "And many of them ended up here because of the similarities in the landscape."

It's a foundation that can still be seen today, by the names, art, and churches around the area, as well as the names in the region's history books.

The first steamboat ever to float Lake Coeur d'Alene? That was built by a Norwegian.

Today the museum will put that history on display, as it opens for the season with its feature exhibit, "Nordic Roots Run Deep."

The showcase celebrates the immigration with colorful costumes, musical instruments, and a moonshine still.

But the historical roots aren't reserved for only Scandinavians, as another exhibit titled "Schitsu'umsh, The People Who Were Discovered Here," is about the life of the early Coeur d'Alenes. That display features beadwork, dwellings and tools, along with maps of the region at its earlier times. Native stories and life lessons that elders told young men courting a woman will be shared, too.

"It's an extensive exhibit," Dahlgren said. "It explores the ethnic makeup of our region from its beginnings."

The face of North Idaho - along with the make up the U.S. Forest Service - changed forever with the 1910 forest fire that crippled the region.

Chronicled in author Timothy Egan's book, "The Big Burn," the fire changed how the then over-worked and under-funded Nation Forest Service communicated and fought future fires.

A pair of exhibits, "When the River Waters Boiled" and "When the Mountains Roared" feature stories and graphics from the fire and how the service department strung telephone lines from Lookout to ranger stations afterward.

"Hydro Fever" will remind some long-time residents of the death-defying hydroplanes that roared around the Lake Coeur d'Alene from 1958 to 1968.

The remodeled museum store is stocked with regional history books, huckleberry jam, postcards, T-shirts, Scandinavian crafts, jewelry and gifts made by people from the area.

The museum, located at 115 Northwest Blvd., is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Admission is $3 for adults, $1 for children 6 to 16, and children younger than 6 are free. A family rate for two adults and children younger than 16 is $7. Members are admitted free, and everyone will be allowed in free on Saturday, April 10.

"It's nice to get the museum open and seeing people coming in enjoying our local history," said Dahlgren, director since 1982. "I'm excited that it's spring."

The museum is open through the end of October. Around 6,000 visitors stop by each year.

Information: 664-3448 or e-mail: [email protected], or visit www.museumni.org.