Lake Coeur d'Alene
Encyclopedia
Lake Coeur d'Alene is a natural lake in the Idaho Panhandle
, located in the vicinity of the city of the same name
. It spans 25 miles (40.2 km) long, ranges from 1 to 3 miles (4.8 km) wide and has over 109 miles (175.4 km) of shoreline for boaters and vacationers to explore and enjoy.
, most recently 12,000 to 15,000 years ago. The Purcell Lobe of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet
flowed south from Canada, carving the basin of present-day Lake Pend Oreille
and damming the Clark Fork
river. The impounded river repeatedly filled to form Glacial Lake Missoula
and broke through the ice dam, resulting in massive floods that filled the Rathdrum Prairie area with sand, gravel, and boulders. Large eddy
bar
s formed downstream from bedrock obstructions, thereby damming tributary
valleys and creating lakes. Lake Coeur d'Alene is fed primarily by two rivers, the Coeur d'Alene River
and the Saint Joe River
. The outflow is via the Spokane River
.
The elevation of the lake varies from 2128 feet (648.6 m) above sea level in the summer to up to 7 feet (2.1 m) lower in the winter, controlled by the Post Falls Dam 9 miles (14.5 km) below the lake on the Spokane River.
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 Idaho v. United States, 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.
in the lake, mainly from the Wolf Lodge Bay. The North Idaho Centennial Trail
, popular among cyclists, walkers, and joggers, follows along the lake's north and northeastern shore. The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes
also runs along the shore.
from their third album AB III is a tribute to this lake.
Idaho Panhandle
The Idaho Panhandle is the northern region of the U.S. State of Idaho that encompasses the ten northernmost counties of Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, Shoshone. Residents of the panhandle refer to the region as North Idaho...
, located in the vicinity of the city of the same name
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Coeur d'Alene is the largest city and county seat of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. It is the principal city of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area. Coeur d'Alene has the second largest metropolitan area in the state of Idaho. As of the 2010 census the population of Coeur...
. It spans 25 miles (40.2 km) long, ranges from 1 to 3 miles (4.8 km) wide and has over 109 miles (175.4 km) of shoreline for boaters and vacationers to explore and enjoy.
Geology and geography
Lake Coeur d'Alene, like other lakes surrounding the Spokane Valley and Rathdrum Prairie, was formed by the Missoula FloodsMissoula Floods
The Missoula Floods refer to the cataclysmic floods that swept periodically across eastern Washington and down the Columbia River Gorge at the end of the last ice age. The glacial flood events have been researched since the 1920s...
, most recently 12,000 to 15,000 years ago. The Purcell Lobe of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet
Cordilleran Ice Sheet
The Cordilleran ice sheet was a major ice sheet that covered, during glacial periods of the Quaternary, a large area of North America. This included the following areas:*Western Montana*The Idaho Panhandle...
flowed south from Canada, carving the basin of present-day Lake Pend Oreille
Lake Pend Oreille
Lake Pend Oreille is a lake in the northern Idaho Panhandle, with a surface area of . It is 65 miles long, and 1,150 feet deep in some regions, making it the fifth deepest in the United States. It is fed by the Clark Fork River and the Pack River, and drains via the Pend Oreille River...
and damming the Clark Fork
Clark Fork (river)
The Clark Fork is a river in the U.S. states of Montana and Idaho, approximately long. The largest river by volume in Montana, it drains an extensive region of the Rocky Mountains in western Montana and northern Idaho in the watershed of the Columbia River, flowing northwest through a long...
river. The impounded river repeatedly filled to form Glacial Lake Missoula
Glacial Lake Missoula
Glacial Lake Missoula was a prehistoric proglacial lake in western Montana that existed periodically at the end of the last ice age between 15,000 and 13,000 years ago...
and broke through the ice dam, resulting in massive floods that filled the Rathdrum Prairie area with sand, gravel, and boulders. Large eddy
Eddy (fluid dynamics)
In fluid dynamics, an eddy is the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle. The moving fluid creates a space devoid of downstream-flowing fluid on the downstream side of the object...
bar
Bar (river morphology)
A bar in a river is an elevated region of sediment that has been deposited by the flow. Types of bars include mid-channel bars , point bars , and mouth bars...
s formed downstream from bedrock obstructions, thereby damming tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
valleys and creating lakes. Lake Coeur d'Alene is fed primarily by two rivers, the Coeur d'Alene River
Coeur d'Alene River
The Coeur d'Alene River flows from the Silver Valley into Lake Coeur d'Alene in the U.S. state of Idaho. The stream continues out of Lake Coeur d'Alene as the Spokane River...
and the Saint Joe River
Saint Joe River
The Saint Joe River is a river in northern Idaho that winds through the Saint Joe River Valley, through Avery, Calder, and St. Maries. Eventually the river dumps into Coeur d'Alene Lake...
. The outflow is via the Spokane River
Spokane River
The Spokane River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northern Idaho and eastern Washington in the United States. It drains a low mountainous area east of the Columbia, passing through the city of Spokane, Washington.-Description:...
.
The elevation of the lake varies from 2128 feet (648.6 m) above sea level in the summer to up to 7 feet (2.1 m) lower in the winter, controlled by the Post Falls Dam 9 miles (14.5 km) below the lake on the Spokane River.
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, HarrisonHarrison, Idaho
Harrison is a city in Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. The population was 267 at the 2000 census.-History:The community was named for President Benjamin HarrisonHarrison was incorporated in 1899 and was once the largest city on Lake Coeur d'Alene....
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
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Coeur d'Alene is the largest city and county seat of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. It is the principal city of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area. Coeur d'Alene has the second largest metropolitan area in the state of Idaho. As of the 2010 census the population of Coeur...
, which then grew to become the county seat.
There are a number of Ford Model T
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...
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
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...
owns the southern third of Lake Coeur d'Alene. In Idaho v. United States, the United States Supreme Court held an 1873 executive order issued by Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
transferred ownership to the Tribe. While the court holding has not affected usage and access to Lake Coeur d'Alene, the Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
has ruled that the Tribe may set its own water-quality standards on its portion of Lake Coeur d'Alene.
Recreation
Lake Coeur d'Alene is a popular tourist site for many people during the summer, offering great beaches and scenic views. A seasonal hobby of some local residents is viewing the bald eagles as they feed on the kokaneeSockeye salmon
Sockeye salmon , also called red salmon or blueback salmon in the USA, is an anadromous species of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it...
in the lake, mainly from the Wolf Lodge Bay. The North Idaho Centennial Trail
North Idaho Centennial Trail
The North Idaho Centennial Trail is a paved trail in Idaho used for transportation and recreational activities. Extending from Higgens Point on the northeast side of Lake Coeur d'Alene, a popular place for bald eagle watchers in early winter, the trail follows the lake's north shoreline to the...
, popular among cyclists, walkers, and joggers, follows along the lake's north and northeastern shore. The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes
Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes
The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes is a rail trail in Idaho, USA, which follows the former Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way from Mullan, a mountain mining town near the Montana border, to Plummer, a town on the prairie near the Washington border....
also runs along the shore.
In popular culture
A song by the rock band Alter BridgeAlter Bridge
Alter Bridge is an American rock band that was formed in 2004 in Orlando, Florida by lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, and drummer Scott Phillips, who are all also members of Creed. Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Myles Kennedy, formerly of The Mayfield Four and the frontman...
from their third album AB III is a tribute to this lake.
See also
- Bunker Hill Mine and Smelting ComplexBunker Hill Mine and Smelting ComplexThe Bunker Hill Mine and Smelting Complex , was a large smelter located in Kellogg, Idaho. When built, it was the largest smelting facility in the world....
- Idaho v. Coeur d'Alene Tribe of IdahoIdaho v. Coeur d'Alene Tribe of IdahoIdaho v. Coeur d'Alene Tribe of Idaho, 521 U.S. 261 , was an important U.S. Supreme Court precedent for aboriginal title in the United States and sovereign immunity in the United States...
(1997) - Idaho v. United StatesIdaho v. United StatesIdaho v. United States, 533 U.S. 262 , was an important U.S. Supreme Court precedent regarding aboriginal title in the United States and the equal footing doctrine. The suit was a companion case to Idaho v. Coeur d'Alene Tribe of Idaho , where the court held that the Coeur d'Alene Tribe's suit...
(2001)
External links
- MSR Maps - USGS topographical map and aerial photo