LAKE: It's who we are, right?

“The Curse of Coeur d’Alene Lake:” You know you love it. In the back of your mind, it is always there… our lake… our treasure. Imagine Coeur d’Alene without our lake. Picture miles of dirt fields with no real interest: barren land. Would we be as smug as we are without our lake? Would we secretly smile as wide, when we talk about where we are from, when traveling? O Captain! My Captain! Do I really want him there? The curse of the Coeur d’Alene Lake is a mental trap that gives most of us a “heart of an awl.”

As we learned in Idaho history, the name of our city was coined by French traders (in describing the Schitsu’umsh Indians with whom they encountered). Ladies and gentlemen, very little has changed. We are also closed-minded, hard-hearted and clannish people. Why? We all privately think we are as beautiful as our lake. Wake up Idaho! If you stand in a hole, does an impressive puddle form? No! You aren’t our lake; so stop being so prissy.

EKKO V. O’KEY

Coeur d’Alene