Fernwood is a small unincorporated town

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in the southeastern corner of Benewah County

Benewah County, Idaho

Benewah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. Established on January 23, 1915, from sections of Kootenai County, it was named for a chief of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. As of the 2010 census the county had a population of 9,285. The county seat and largest city is St...

, Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, located just to the east of State Highway 3

Idaho State Highway 3

Idaho State Highway 3 is a state highway in northern Idaho connecting US 12 near Spalding with I-90 near Rose Lake. It is long and runs north–south.-Route description:...

. The city shares a public K-6 school with the communities of Clarkia

Clarkia, Idaho

Clarkia is a small unincorporated town in the southwestern corner of Shoshone County, Idaho United States. It is surrounded by publicly and privately managed forest lands of Douglas-fir, Ponderosa Pine, and Western Larch. Located just to the east of State Highway 3, the town is in the drainage...

, Santa

Santa, Idaho

Santa is an unincorporated community in Benewah County, Idaho, United States. Santa is located on Idaho State Highway 3 south-southeast of St. Maries. Santa has a post office with ZIP code 83866....

 and Emida

Emida, Idaho

Emida is a small unincorporated town in Benewah County, Idaho, United States, located on the east side of State Highway 6. The town's children go to the K-6 Upriver school in Fernwood then all students attend middle school and high school in St. Maries....

. All students attend high school and middle school in St. Maries

St. Maries, Idaho

St. Maries is a city in Benewah County, Idaho, United States. The population was 2,652 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Benewah County. Pronounced St. Mary's.-Geography:St. Maries is located at ....

.

The 2000 census recorded a population of 684 with an average household income of $27,578. The median age in the tabulation area is 41.2 and the average household size is 2.51.

Early Inhabitants

The Coeur d’Alene

Coeur d'Alene Tribe

The Coeur d'Alene are a Native American people who lived in villages along the Coeur d'Alene, St. Joe, Clark Fork and Spokane Rivers; as well as sites on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene, Lake Pend Oreille and Hayden Lake, in what is now northern Idaho, eastern Washington and western Montana.In...

people inhabited this area for thousands of years prior to the coming of white settlers. The native name of the area is Epschssups'n or “It has a little tail.”