Series will navigate role of steamboats in North Idaho

COEUR d'ALENE - The regional history series by historian Robert Singletary at the Coeur d'Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave., is down to the final four programs.

"North Idaho: Connections to the Past," is offered free in the library Community Room at 7 p.m.

The Thursday, March 18, program is "The Steamboat Connection" and will examine the role of this form of transportation in the development of the region. The first steamboat to work the waters of Lake Coeur d'Alene was built by the Army to serve the needs of Camp Coeur d'Alene, later to be known as Fort Sherman.

The 12-part series began in January and is made possible in part by a grant from the Friends of the Coeur d'Alene Public Library.

Singletary is an active historian in the region. He wrote a weekly history column for the Coeur d'Alene Press for 10 years and taught history at NIC and Lewis-Clark State College. He also served as a trustee for the Museum of North Idaho and the Idaho State Historical Society. Singletary owns History Unlimited, which specializes in historical tours, lectures and living history performances.

The schedule for the final four programs is:

• March 18: The Steamboat Connection.

• April 8: The Timber Connection.

• April 15: The Tourism Connection.

• April 29: The Farragut Naval Station Connection.

Attendees are asked to use the lower parking lot behind City Hall and the parkside library entrance.

More news and information about the Coeur d'Alene Public Library is available online at www.cdalibrary.org. News about the library and other city departments is also available on the City of Coeur d'Alene news blog: http://cdacity.blogspot.com/.