Bayview Historical Society
BAYVIEW, ID
dedicated to preserving the history of Bayview, Lakeview and other locations on Lake Pend Oreille
BAYVIEW TURNS 100 - SEE INFORMATION ON THE 2010 CENTENNIAL
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dedicated to preserving the history of Bayview, Lakeview and other locations on Lake Pend Oreille BAYVIEW TURNS 100 - SEE INFORMATION ON THE 2010 CENTENNIAL
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Pen d'Oreille City History
Pen d’Oreille City was established in 1866 as the second white settlement in northern Idaho. The first was the long-time Indian crossing of Seneacquoteen on the Pend Oreille River across from Laclede. Pen d’Oreille City found a home at the south end of the lake in the sheltered harbor now known as Buttonhook Bay, aptly named because of its hook-like shape. It was an early hunting place of the local Indians. Today little remains of this early settlement other than stories. The lure of gold in Montana Territory and British Columbia brought miners to the area seeking access to the gold fields. Buoyed by the thought of riches they journeyed by wagon, mule or horseback along established trails north from Wallula or White Bluffs on the Columbia River. A trail crossed the Spokane River near the Washington-Idaho border and headed north to Seneacquoteen via Charles Connor’s Ranch at present-day Rathdrum where a section branched eastward to Pen d’Oreille City. Miners were seeking their fortunes at numerous locations including the Wild Horse Gold Mines in B.C. or in one of many Montana camps such as Last Chance Gulch, which became Helena, or Ophir Gulch along the Little Blackfoot River. The mighty Oregon Steam Navigation Company of Portland formed a subsidiary, called the Oregon & Montana Transportation Company, to address the needs of a new route to the mines. Investors gathered $100,000, a tremendous sum for those days, to build three steamboats and establish new trails. Pen d’Oreille City became the home port for the steamer Mary Moody built by Zenas Moody of The Dalles, Oregon. The Cabinet and Missoula, designed to go as far as Thompson Falls, were built on the Clark Fork River above Noxon Rapids. Pen d’Oreille City contained a few small log homes and businesses. William Blackstone had a saloon with a pool table, Twitchell ran a 25' x 40’ store, Boone and Brown operated a small hotel. There was a warehouse to store supplies and a blacksmith shop. Horses were pastured at Davidson's ranch where Idlewild and Scenic Bays meet, now called Blackwell Point. The closest post office was at Walla Walla until early 1867 when Tim Lee was named postmaster at Spokane Bridge and William Pope became the postmaster at Pen d’Oreille City. The established mail route went from Helena to Missoula and then north to Horse Plains where it followed the Clark Fork River to Lake Pend Oreille. The Moody transported mail across the lake to Pen d’Oreille City. From there is was carried by riders to Spokane Bridge and on to Walla Walla, eventually reaching Portland. For a fee of $3.00 passengers could ride from the town site to two major points on the northeast side of the lake. Some went to a landing point on the Sunnyside Peninsula east of Sandpoint where they connected with the Kootenai (or Wild Horse Trail) and headed north across the border. Others were venturing toward the gold fields in Montana. The Mary Moody took them up the Clark’s Fork River to Cabinet Landing at the foot of the Cabinet Mountains, a distance of 30 miles across the lake and 20 miles up the river to the northeast. The rapids above the landing were too dangerous to navigate, so portage trails were cut and two additional steamers built. The Cabinet and Missoula carried passengers and cargo further upstream until they finally reach Thompson’s Falls. Travelers ventured on to various places in Montana after debarking from the Missoula. The route across the lake saved many miles of difficult roads and was safer than the often-mired trails across the north end of the lake. Thus it became a popular choice of packers and provided competition to the much more publicized Mullan Road which left Spokane Bridge heading east over the Coeur d’Alene Mountains. Because it crossed the Coeur d'Alene and St. Regis Borgia Rivers numerous times and climbed high into the mountains, the Mullan route was difficult to travel during the winter month, so many preferred the Pen d’Oreille route which followed the river valley. Pen d’Oreille City acted as headquarters for O&MT Company until the early 1870s when more efficient means of supplying the mining camps were achieved up the Missouri River and via the newly completed Union Pacific Railroad. The machinery from the three boats was salvaged and the hulls scuttled. The protected harbor in Buttonhook Bay became known as Steamboat Landing in the 1880s and continued to serve as a supply point for homesteaders, since the wagon trail from Westwood (later Rathdrum) came there. The old town site served as a gathering and transfer point when the Northern Pacific Railroad built their tracks along the Clark Fork River to Hope and around the northern edge of the lake in the early 1880s but soon towns like Athol and Granite emerged along the Northern’s path. Roads were developed to connect these towns to Bayview which was established in the adjacent bay. Now the old town site is part of Farragut State Park and a favorite spot for boaters.
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