Kootenai County courthouse will mark 100th anniversary

COEUR d’ALENE — The Kootenai County Courthouse has been standing for almost a century. 

Beginning in January, county commissioners and the Kootenai County Historic Preservation Commission will celebrate the milestone with a series of lectures exploring the history of the county and its courthouse, dedicated in December 1926.

John Mueller, chair of the Historic Preservation Commission, said the commission recognizes that Kootenai County is growing and an increasing number of residents are relatively new to the area.

“It’s incumbent on us to tell the story of the county,” he said. 

The monthly lectures, held in Courtroom 1 on the third floor of the old courthouse at 501 Government Way, are an opportunity to share that story with the community. The talks will be free and open to the public. Speakers will include local history experts, attorneys, judges and others.

Courthouses are an important symbol, Mueller said. 

“We had order in the settlement of the West and that usually came at the end of a gun barrel,” he said. “But law came later. The outstanding icons of the law were the courthouses that were established. The residency of judges are the final piece in law and order.” 

The following talks are confirmed: 

• Kootenai County origins and county seat wars, Jan. 22 

• Courthouse site history, Feb. 26 

• The courthouse and true crime, March 26 

• Courthouse architect and design expression, April 23 

• Evolution of law and practice in Kootenai County, May 21 

• First District Bar day-to-day operations, June 23 

• History of enforcement in Kootenai County, Aug. 21 

• Women in the law, Sept. 24 

• First District Bar bench bar presentation, Oct. 22 

The topic for November has not been announced.

The county and the city of Coeur d’Alene will also present an “America 250” celebration July 3, the state of Idaho’s birthday, on the east lawn in front of the courthouse. 

Idaho Supreme Court Justice Cynthia Meyer will share remarks on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. A 100-year time capsule will be dedicated.