COEUR d'ALENE - After a long hiatus, guided bus tours have returned to Coeur d'Alene.

Local historian Robert Singletary leads the tours, which depart from the Museum of North Idaho every Wednesday at 2 p.m.

"We're trying something that hasn't been done in years," Singletary said, not since the 1990s.

The historian has joined forces with OmniBus, a charter service that provides transportation throughout the Panhandle and Eastern Washington. The three-hour bus trips visit several historic sites in the Silver Valley and Coeur d'Alene.

"It's a tour of the region," Singletary said.

Guests travel in a coach bus down Interstate 90, crossing Fourth of July Pass and dropping into the valley. At the Cataldo Mission - Idaho's oldest building - Singletary talks about Father DeSmet, the Jesuits and their fateful meeting with the Coeur d'Alene Tribe.

The bus returns to the Lake City and parks at the old Fort Sherman site, built by Gen. William T. Sherman in 1878. Guests visit the fort's chapel, then head back to downtown Coeur d'Alene, where Singletary points out several of the city's oldest buildings.

Chugging eastward once again, the charter bus climbs to a scenic viewpoint on Potlatch Hill - the grand finale.

The tour includes beautiful scenery and heaps of history, Singletary said. Ticket prices are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $15 for children (ages 6-15).

Singletary is also leading historical walking tours this summer.

A Fort Sherman tour departs Tuesdays from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., and a downtown Coeur d'Alene tour is every Thursday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. The walks begin at the Chamber of Commerce building.

During both excursions, the historian is dressed as a local character from years gone by.

Col. William Carlin is Singletary's Fort Sherman persona, the man who commanded the fort during the 1880s. The Carlin character requires a heavy wool uniform and all the period accessories.

For the Coeur d'Alene walk, Singletary portrays Capt. Peter Sorenson, a steamboat builder and early settler in the area. A suit, blue coat and jaunty captain's cap complete the portrait.

"The building of steamboats was a big industry," he said. "It was a huge, huge business."

Walking tour tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and children.

Tickets for the bus and walking excursions can be purchased at the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce building or the Museum of North Idaho.

For information, log on to www.heritageunlimited.net or call 755-1308.