Post Falls, ID

We traveled from Moses Lake in central Washington to just inside the Idaho border to stay in the town of Post Falls tonight just west of Spokane.  To the east of us is Lake Coeur d’Alene.  Situated just off I-90, Post Falls is known as Idaho’s River City with the Spokane River passing through the heart of town.  Here the Spokane River splits into three channels each with a natural falls.  Pioneer Frederick Post who first settled in the area in the late 1800s named the town after these falls.  Further down stream the three river channels recombine to form one channel near Spokane.

French-speaking traders named the local native peoples the Coeur d’Alene Indian Tribe (a name meaning “heart of an awl” in French) in recognition of their superb trading skills.  They also chose the same name for their original settlement along the expansive Lake Coeur d’Alene to the south of Post Falls.  The river provided transportation options for the logging business that sprung up here with the arrival of settlers.  Further growth occurred with the discovery of gold in the area.

Frederick Post recognized the need for milling lumber and grinding wheat and he constructed a wooden dam and built a mill for both endeavors.  By 1904 Washington Water Power acquired the dam from Post and rebuilt it, ultimately providing electricity to mines as far as 100 miles away over the longest high-voltage power lines in existence at the time.

We took a brief excursion over to the falls and dam to discover a beautiful park built around them with walking paths that give easy access to viewing both.  This town seems wonderful in the RV’s surrounding area.  The Walmart was terrific just down the street.  If it were not for the winters, I’d put this neighborhood on my short list for retirement.  Over the summer we’ve seen many such places to file away in our memories, wondering what the people who actually live in such places are like and what things there are to do.  Imagination runs wild with placing oneself in the midst of each of them.  But now as we are on the way to Florida, the endpoint becomes more desired and settling into “our place” for the winter is a much anticipated luxury.