Kootenai County
IDGenWeb
Kootenai County IDGenWeb is a free genealogical site about the history of the county.
We hope you find helpful clues for your research of Kootenai county ancestors.
Are you familiar with the area? Do you have a family tree connection to the area? Please consider contributing your pieces of Kootenai County family history. Corrections, updates, and additions to this site are always welcome. Our combined efforts can make this a great site for all who visit!
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Temporary County Coordinator: Randy Cummings NorthIDGenWeb@gmail.com
State Coordinator: Kerry Hairston kerry.hairston@gmail.com
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Kootenai County was established December 22, 1864. It was named in honor of the Kutenai Indians, who inhabited the area when the white man arrived. The word "Kootenai" is derived from the Kutenai word meaning "water people." Kootenai County lost northern territory to the creation of Bonner County in 1907, and it lost southern territory to the creation of Benewah County in 1915.
Seneaquoteen, a trading post below Lake Pend Oreille, was the original county seat. In 1881, Rathdrum replaced Seneaquoteen as county seat. Coeur d'Alene became the current county seat in 1908.
"Mountain men and trappers were in the area in the early 1880's. The Sacred Heart Mission, first established near St. Maries, was moved to a site 10 miles east of Coeur d'Alene Lake in 1846 at Cataldo, where the mission building still exists and was repaired and strengthened in 1976 as a Bicentennial project. Captain John Mullan, who built the Mullan Road through the Fourth of July Canyon, surveyed the Coeur d'Alene Lake shore in 1859. In the 1860's the Wild Horse Trail from Spokane through Rathdrum Prairie was used by prospectors to get to the gold diggings in British Columbia. Traffic to the Montana mines at Helena was routed over a portion of that rail. Agriculture, lumbering, and tourism are the chief industries of the county, which attracts hundreds of Canadians each summer." -- The Idaho Almanac, 1977 Edition, State of Idaho
The Mission of the Sacred Heart was constructed between 1850 and 1853. It is the oldest building in Idaho.
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This page was last updated 10/04/2023