Idaho_Coeur_d_Alene_No_Trespassing_Low_Res
Coeur d'AleneJust as Coeur d'Alene Lake served as the traditional focus of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, it is the center of the Coeur d'Alene community today. The lake, during all seasons, remains the heart of our area.Early French-speaking fur traders named Coeur d'Alene Lake. According to legend, the traders believed the local Indians to be sharp traders and called the lake Coeur d'Alene since their hearts were as sharp as an awl. In 1878 Fort Sherman was established and the city began to grow. Coeur d'Alene was incorporated in 1887 and continued to flourish. It's a town with a rich background in lake steamers, fur trading, logging and mining.Until the early 1890's, Coeur d'Alene served as the railroad/steamboat transfer point for transportation between the mines in the Silver Valley to the east and the smelters they fed. The area continued to prosper in the early 1900's when a major timber boom caused the population to increase 16-fold in a period of 10 years. The city continued t