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Moving History Forward: Coeur d’Alene gets its Thin Blue Line

by RICHARD SHELDON/Special to The Press
| May 27, 2022 1:05 AM

Coeur d’Alene was incorporated as a city on Aug. 3, 1887. The city Fathers appointed Warren Baldwin to be the first marshal 26 days later. He was sworn in Sept. 1, 1887. His badge was purchased by the city for $3. It read, “Marshal, Town of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Territories.”

Four days later, the city Fathers (Board of Trustees) set about writing the “Rules and Regulations.” They included making arrests, the upkeep of the calaboose, serving court ordered warrants and … preventing the fast and furious driving or riding of horses or other animals.

Marshal Baldwin was responsible for collecting the tolls imposed on certain roads and he was to be the road commissioner. Those who were inmates in the jail were required to work on the roads, cleaning and repairing them as needed. Any prisoner refusing to do the work had a ball and chain affixed to his leg in order to give added incentive to cooperate with authority. Female prisoners were not required to work the roads, and no work was required on Sundays.

On Feb. 2, 1888, approximately 150 days after his appointment, Marshal Baldwin resigned because there were insufficient funds to pay his salary. What resulted was that garbage was being dumped into the lake. The town physician was appointed to solve the problem.

With this evidence that a law enforcement officer was needed, an election was ordered to fill the vacancy. On April 2, 1888, Warren Baldwin ran against B. S. Wishart. Nineteen votes were cast. The one vote that Wishart received was probably the result of him voting for himself. More importantly, the election allowed for a way to finance the marshal’s salary.

The next order of business was to build a jail. The money was raised and the jail was built on the corner of Second and Wallace for $150. It was completed on June 26, 1888.

Baldwin served as town marshal until he was replaced by John N. Sebring on Dec. 4, 1888. Sebring’s first act was to requisition the city for a $3 padlock for the jail. Baldwin continued to serve the city as a night watchman.

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The Museum of North Idaho (MoNI) will be spotlighting the period in American History known as “Prohibition” with a special exhibit “The Rum Rebellion: Prohibition in North Idaho," running from June 17 to Oct. 29. Prohibition was a unique period when law enforcement was required to enforce a constitutional amendment that ran contrary to the prevailing American culture.

This column was excerpted from “A Written History of the Cd’A Police Department.”