History
The lake has been a primary method of transporting lumber in Kootenai County since the industry took root in the region. In fact, prior to a fire in 1917, Harrison was going to be county seat of Kootenai County, as the swiftly growing lumber town was at an opportune junction of the St. Joe and Coeur d' Alene Rivers. After the fire, the mills were largely moved to the city of Coeur d'Alene, which then grew to become the county seat.
There are a number of Ford Model T automobiles sitting on the bottom of the lake, due to people in the early 1900s who would drive across the lake during the winter time in order to save half the distance in getting around the lake. When the ice broke, so did the chances for getting across. Also, there are some steamboats on the bottom that had been burned when they were no longer used to ferry people around on the lake. Divers frequently visit these ruins on the bottom.
The Coeur d'Alene Tribe owns the southern third of Lake Coeur d'Alene. In United States v. Idaho, the United States Supreme Court held an 1873 executive order issued by Ulysses S. Grant transferred ownership to the Tribe. While the court holding has not affected usage and access to Lake Coeur d'Alene, the Environmental Protection Agency has ruled that the Tribe may set its own water-quality standards on its portion of Lake Coeur d'Alene.
Read more about this topic: Lake Coeur D'Alene
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