Wild Place - by Kris Runberg Smith (Paperback)

About the Book

Dazzled by abundant natural resources, a wide cast of hopefuls tried their best to tame Idaho's Priest Lake. Wild Place focuses on little-known yet captivating stories of the colorful characters who navigated its demanding physical, political, and economic challenges.

Book Synopsis

Remote and rugged, Idaho's Priest Lake remains a wild place, with brutal winters and an upper lake accessible only by foot, mountain bike, or boat. Even so, beginning in the 1890s a wide cast of homesteaders, prospectors, speculators, and loggers tried their best to tame it.

Despite impressive forests, turn-of-the-century Western expansion bypassed the area, sparing its idyllic beauty. In 1897 President Grover Cleveland created the Priest River Forest Reserve, initiating an enduring tension between public and private lands. Soon both timber and summer cottages were in high demand. Rangers doled out permits, scrappy residents eked out a living, and families created a cherished seasonal community.

Devastating wildfires initiated profound change, leading the Civilian Conservation Corps to concentrate on fire suppression. After World War II, population growth accelerated, electricity became commonplace, and a local newspaper crowed, "Priest Lake has become a cult with many vacationists." Wild Place traces the region's history, focusing on little-known yet captivating stories of its colorful characters.

Review Quotes

"An easy read for the less historically inclined, but rich with primary sources. The first-person accounts of early settlers are remarkable."

--Pacific Northwest Inlander

"In addition to being entertaining and engaging reads, [Wild Place is] thoroughly researched, ably written, and accessible to a range of audiences."

--Columbia: The Magazine of Northwest History