1901 Map of Sandpoint

About this map

Pend Oreille Lake and the complex waterways of northern Idaho dominate this landscape during the first decade of the twentieth century. The map documents a critical era of transport before modern bridges, where the Clark Fork and Priest River were navigated via several river crossings, including Baldwin Ferry, Hamill Ferry, and Markham Ferry. The arrival of the Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific Railroad catalyzed the growth of settlements like Sandpoint and Laclede, while older sites like Seneaguoteen represent the region's earlier pioneers. The terrain transitions from the high peaks of the Kaniksu Mountains and Cabinet Mountains down into the productive Hoodoo Valley. At the northern edge, the settlement of Coolin sits at the base of Priest Lake, serving as a gateway to the dense timberlands now managed as the Kaniksu National Forest.