Day 3 - Coeur d'Alene to McCall, Idaho
Highways today included east on I-90 to State 97 (NW Passage Scenic Byway) on the east side of Coeur d'Alene Lake. At the end of State 97 we turned south on State 3 through Saint Maries and Bovill to the Junction with US 12 where we turned east. We followed US 12 through Orofino to Kooskia. At Kooskia we turned south again on State 13 to Grangeville, then US 95 to New Meadows and State 55 to McCall. Google Map
Highway 97 - Lake Coeur d'Alene Scenic Byway
State Highway 97 runs for 35.7 miles along the east side of Lake Coeur d'Alene. The entire highway is designated as the Lake Coeur d'Alene Scenic Byway. Part of the highway travels through the Coeur d'Alene Reservation.
 |
| Downtown Bovill c 1907 |
Bovill, Idaho - State Highway 3
Bovill was named for a settler Hugh Bovill, an Englishman who bought the Warren Meadows homestead in 1901.
With the rapid infusion of loggers, homesteaders, and sportsmen, Bovill and his wife Charlotte opened a hotel in 1903, which included a store and post office in 1907. The railroad arrived that same year and logging activity increased nearby.
 |
| Juliaetta c 1900-1910 |
Juliaetta, Idaho - State Highway 3
Juliaetta, population 601, was named in 1882 by the first postmaster, Charles Snyder. He named the town in honor of his two daughters, Julia and Etta.
The city was incorporated in 1892 when the railroad was extended to that point. The Bank of Juliaetta was registered on the National Register of Historic Places on January 15, 1998 as #97001649.
Highway 12 Idaho - Northwest Passage Scenic Byway
Us Route 12 twists and turns alongside the Clearwater River. It extends 174 miles from the Washington state line in Lewiston east to the Montana state line at Lolo Pass, generally along the route of the Lewis and Clark expedition. In October 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition descended the Clearwater River in dugout canoes, putting in at "Canoe Camp," five miles downstream from Orofino.
 |
| Slaterville (2018) |
Slaterville Rest Stop
We stopped at a rest stop at the site of Slaterville Ghost Town. Slaterville served as the steamboat port for the Clearwater Gold Rush which followed mineral discoveries at Pierce in 1860.
Founded May 6, 1861, Slaterville had a permanent population of 50, two stores, two houses, and a saloon. Slaterville was soon replaced by a new port in Lewiston.
Nez Perce National Historic Park
The Nez Perce National Historic Park is comprised of 38 sites spread over four states. The sites are linked by the history of the Nez Perce people. Twenty-six of the sites are on or near the Nez Perce Indian Reservation in Idaho. The Nez Perce National Historic Trail, managed by the United States Forest Service, preserves the route taken by Chief Joseph and his band when they tried to reach Canada in 1877.
Nez Perce National Historic Trail
Routes and highways in this area are scattered with historical markers. This is the area of the Nez Perce Battlefields and the Nez Perce Trail in Idaho. The Nez Perce Historic Trail follows the route taken by a large group of the Nez Perce tribe in 1877 to avoid being forced onto a reservation.
The 1,170-mile trail was created in 1986 as part of the National Trails System Act and is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Idaho Historical Marker Guide
The trail traverses through portions of Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana and connects 38 separate sites that commemorate significant events of the Nez Perce War that took place between June and October 1877, as several bands of the Nez Perce tried to escape capture by the U.S. Calvary. The sites are part of the Nez Perce National Historical Park. Nez Perce National Historic Trail Wikipedia
 |
| Heart of the Monster (2018) |
Nez Perce - Heart of the Monster - Highway 12
Heart of the Monster is located on the Clearwater River near Kamiah, Idaho.
In the Nez Perce creation story, Iceye’ye (Coyote) killed a large monster along the Clearwater River near present day Kamiah, Idaho, thus creating different tribes in the region, including the Nez Perce. A rock formation in the area is said to represent the heart of the monster. It is sacred to the Nez Perce people. National Park Service
State Route 13 - Kooskia to Grangeville (NW Passage Scenic Byway)
We left US 12 at Kooskia and turned south on State 13. Highway 13 is a continuation of the North West Passage Scenic Byway where it splits at Kooskia. It's 26 miles passes in the valley through beautiful rolling hills and a climb over the mountain to Grangeville.
 |
| Nez Perce War-Milepost 21.2 - Highway 13 |
Nez Perce War - Clearwater Battlefield
In the weeks following the Battle at White Bird, General Oliver O. Howard pursued the Nez Perce across the Reservation. Nez Perce War Historical Marker Database
The General caught up with them after crossing the Salmon and the Clearwater Rivers. On July 11, 1877, General Howard tried to take the Nez Perce camp by surprise. The Nez Perce, however, foiled his plan and the first day's fighting came to a draw.
On July 12, Howard used infantry, cavalry, and artillery to gain the upper hand. In the face of this force, the Nez Perce began to slowly withdraw towards Kamiah. While Howard captured their camp and a great deal of supplies, he did not pursue the Nez Perce. They went north to Kamiah and began to head east, over the Lolo Trail to western Montana. National Park Service
The Nez Perce War
The Nez Perce War was an armed conflict that pitted several bands of the Nez Perce tribe and their allies, including Chief White Bird, Chief Toohoolhoolzote, Chief Looking Glass, Chief Red Echo and Chief Bald Head against the United States Army. The conflict, fought between June and October 1877, stemmed from the refusal of several bands of the Nez Perce, dubbed "non-treaty Indians," to give up their ancestral lands in the Pacific Northwest and move to an Indian reservation in Idaho.
This forced removal was in violation of the 1855 Treaty of Walla Walla, which granted the tribe 7.5 million acres in their ancestral lands and the right to hunt and fish in lands ceded to the government. The New York Times wrote in 1877 "On our part, the war was in its origin and motive nothing short of a gigantic blunder and a crime".
Nez Perce Surrender
The Nez Perce were pursued by elements of the U.S. Army with whom they fought a series of battles and skirmishes on a fighting retreat of 1,170 miles. The war ended after a final five-day battle fought alongside Snake Creek at the base of Montana's Bears Paw Mountains only 40 miles from the Canada–US border. A large majority of the surviving Nez Perce represented by Chief Joseph surrendered. The 418 Nez Perce who surrendered, including women and children, were taken prisoner and sent by train to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
White Bird, of the Lamátta band of Nez Perce, managed to elude the Army after the battle and escaped with an undetermined number of his band to Sitting Bull's camp in Canada.
 |
| Chief Joseph (Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt) (March 3, 1840-Sept 21, 1904 |
Chief Joseph
I am Tired of Fighting
On October 5, 1877, his speech, as he surrendered to General Howard, immortalized Chief Joseph in American history forever.
"I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. Toohoolhoolzote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say, 'Yes' or 'No.' He who led the young men [Olikut] is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets.
The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food.
No one knows where they are — perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever."
US Highway 95 - Grangeville to New Meadows
U.S. Route 95 is another north–south continual U.S./Canada highway spanning 1,574 miles from San Luis, Arizona on the Mexico–US border, over the US-Canada Border at Eastport, Idaho, to its' northern terminus at Golden, British Columbia.
New Meadows, Idaho
New Meadows, population 537, was founded in 1911. It is located at the junction of US 95 and State Highway 55.
 |
| PIN Railroad Depot - New Meadows |
The last surviving Pacific and Idaho Northern (PIN) Railroad Depot built in 1910 is in New Meadows.
Without the Pacific and Idaho Northern Railroad, New Meadows would arguably not have existed.
Highway 55 Idaho - Payette River National Scenic Byway
Following the narrow Payette River Valley, Idaho's Route 55 extends 112 miles between New Meadows and Eagle. It passes through the Boise National Forest and Payette National Forest and the popular resort towns of McCall and Cascade.
 |
| McCall Main Street c 1927 |
McCall, Idaho
McCall, established in 1899, is a resort town situated on the southern shore of Payette Lake, near the center of the Payette National Forest.
Originally a logging community, the last sawmill closed in 1977. McCall is now an all-season tourist destination for outdoor recreation. The resort town is known for its Winter Carnival, extended winters, and one of the highest average snowfalls in the state.
Wow, what a day! The Google Map says we only travelled 315 miles but with all the stops, historical markers and exhibits along the way, it feels a lot more than that. We are totally exhausted and looking forward to relaxing in a hot tub.
We booked into the Best Western Plus McCall Inn and Suites. I've stayed at this hotel twice before. It is without a doubt one of the nicest hotels in the Country.
After dinner, we toured around town, got some coffee to go, and went to the public beach to watch the sunset. We were off to bed early. Tomorrow would be another long day - all about sightseeing - all those ghost towns - and probably slow driving.
 Post Note - Day Three:
If I don't stop researching the history of every little town on the map, we are never going to get through this virtual trip. I have to learn to drive the speed limit and quit stopping so much. It's starting to feel ridiculous!
|
No comments:
Post a Comment