Pen d'Oreille City site to be considered for National Register of Historic Places
LOREN BENOIT/Press File University of Idaho archaeology grad student Marci Monaco screens dirt to find cultural material during a dig in 2017 at Pen d’Oreille City, which was one of the first settlements in North Idaho. An application has been submitted to place the site on the National Register of Historic Places.
DEVIN WEEKS/Press file Animal bones, a horseshoe and other items have been recovered from the site of historic Pen d’Oreille City on the southern end of Lake Pend Oreille.
The Kootenai County Historic Preservation Commission (KCHPC) has submitted an application to place the Pen d’Oreille City site on the National Register of Historic Places.
National Register designation is an honorific that will establish formal recognition of the site’s significance, increase awareness and appreciation of local history and encourage further research and preservation activities. It does not guarantee preservation of what is there, but does restrict use of federal funds that may affect the property and encourages the property owner, the state of Idaho, to continue to sensitively manage the site.
The Pen d’Oreille City/Steamboat Landing site, located at the south end of Lake Pend Oreille in Farragut State Park, has local and regional historic significance as a major link in the evolving transportation system that brought people and goods to the Inland Northwest between 1865 and 1903.
The site is eligible for the National Register because of its important associations with early settlement, the growth of transportation networks, commercial development and for the information that the archaeological record may provide on these themes and about the lives of those individuals involved.
Founders of the Oregon and Montana Transportation Company recognized the potential of steamboat traffic to revolutionize inland transportation and located Pen d’Oreille City (which differs in spelling from Lake Pend Oreille and the neighboring town of Ponderay) on the lake where it could link overland trails to much faster water routes and serve passengers and freighters. Gold discoveries in British Columbia and Montana caused demand and brought thousands of prospectors through the region.
Railroad construction followed the rush and Pen d’Oreille City continued to function as a landing and steamer stop to distribute construction materials and supplies to Northern Pacific Railroad work sites and serve far-flung communities, as well as provide recreational opportunities. Pen d’Oreille City was one of North Idaho’s first two towns — the other was Seneacquoteen on the Pend Oreille River.
Because there are no buildings left at the Pen d’Oreille City site, the archaeological record is essential to understanding of this early period in our regional history.
KCHPC conducted extensive survey and documentation in association with the University of Idaho resulting in a master’s thesis. Through the National Park Service nomination process, the site is on the verge of formal nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
On March 2, the Idaho Historic Sites Review Board will vote on the nomination and advance the nomination to the National Park Service Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. The meeting in Boise is open to the public or can be attended “electronically,” beginning at 10 a.m. Letters of support for the nomination are requested by the KCHPC. Send comments before March 2 to Matt Halitsky, Idaho State Historic Preservation Office, 210 Main St., Boise, ID 83702 or email to matt.halitsky@ishs.idaho.gov.
Copies of the nomination and information about the National Register are available upon request.
For information, contact Halitsky at the Idaho State Historic Preservation office at 208-488-7468 or contact Kootenai County Historic Preservation Commissioner Laurie Mauser at 208-683-1751.