Silver Valley Tour, Part 2

If you missed Part 1 you can start there. Then…

Continuing our tour across the Silver Valley, as we leave Old Mission State Park, we weave through the countryside passing…

Whiteman Lumber Company

According to our guidebook, Roads Less Traveled Through the Coeur d’Alenes, Whiteman Lumber Company is the oldest continuous operating saw mill in Idaho. It was founded in 1929 but established at this location in 1935.

Kootenai Cabins

Apparently there used to be a cluster of seven roadside tourist cabins along in here somewhere, built in the early 1900s. We never could find them so we finally concluded that they are all gone now. Our book reports that there were still four in 2006.

U.S. Highway 10 Bridge

If you look closely at the left bank you can almost see the abutments of the “old” bridge. The one we were driving on was built in 1935, but there used to be an even older one, built in 1919. It seems there was an abrupt turn leading up to it which was the cause of many accidents so they realigned it when they built Highway 10 in the 1930s. (Remember we are driving approximately parallel to Interstate 90, and Highway 10 was what came before.)

Mission Inn

As we came into the tiny town of Cataldo we saw Timbers Roadhouse to our left. The book lists it as Mission Inn. It was built in 1934 and first called Owl Tavern, then Cataldo Beer Parlor, and later Bodine’s. According to Facebook it’s currently a family friendly bar and grill.

Ewing’s Inn

Across the highway is another restaurant called The Cataldo Inn. I’m not sure when it became a restaurant but I understand it was built as Ewing’s General Store in 1947.

Snyder’s Grocery and Post Office

This clapboard building was built in 1926 and opened as the Cataldo Post Office and Snyder’s Grocery. The post office was moved into a new building in 1974. The store closed in 1977. The building served as a restaurant from 1983 – 1996. It appears to be an antique store now.

The next tiny town along our route is Kingston. This is where we often get off the Interstate to head up the river to go camping.

Kings Inn

Kings Inn was built in the late 1800s as a hotel and tavern. I don’t know that it’s still a hotel, but as far as I know it still a tavern.

Interestingly, one of the very first designs I did for ProPrint in 2016 was for a promotional poster for Kings Inn. My only instructions were, “Surprise me!” I knew nothing about the company or the event, so that was quite a challenge for me.

Kingston Grade School

If the book hadn’t mentioned that the building had been remodeled into apartments I would have never guessed that this used to be a school building. It was built in the 1920s and used as a school until 1957.

Kingston High School

The high school was built across the road from the grade school in 1930 and used as a school until 1955. I don’t know what it’s been in intervening years, or even what it is now, but it’s been for sale at least once during the time we’ve lived in the area. I had fun speculating what one could do with such a building!

Smith House

Along the road between Kingston and Pinehurst is this 2-story, 12-room house built between 1890 and 1895. The Smith family raised nine children here and it remained in their family until the 1950s.

I’m out of time for today but I’ll be back soon to continue our tour through the little town of Pinehurst. Thanks for joining me!