COEUR d'ALENE - Garnering over 100 visitors by early afternoon, Saturday's free day at the Museum of North Idaho was the latest step in a campaign to boost membership revenue for operating expenses.

"If we could get that many in every day, paying ..." said volunteer Bill Pichette with a chuckle.

Still looking at an eventual move to an expansive new facility, the museum is currently focused on simply addressing a budget shortfall for current operating costs, said Director Dorothy Dahlgren.

"We're waiting for the economy to become more favorable before we look at a capital campaign," Dahlgren said of fundraising to build a new multi-million dollar facility at the corner of Mullan Avenue and Northwest Boulevard.

The current facility on Northwest Boulevard has recently lost revenue to cover the basics like insurance, janitorial services, exhibits at the current museum on Northwest Boulevard, she said.

Kootenai County, which supplied $15,000 to the museum annually for some time, has reduced that to about $10,000. On top of that, revenue from annual CD interest rates has dropped from $14,000 annually to almost half that.

"Last year, we had to take $2,000 from our reserves," Dahlgren said. "We've been fiscally responsible over the years, so we do have it in the reserves, but of course you hate to do that."

The plan to address the funding issues is to get more bodies through the door.

The museum hopes to double its current 500 memberships, which cost $25, $50 or $100. To raise interest, historian Robert Singletary has been conducting history programs at local schools, Dahlgren said, and continuing his popular walking history tours.

And of course, free days like Saturday remind folks of the varied exhibits ever on display, covering subjects like past wildfires, Civilian Conservation Corps projects in the area during the Depression. An exhibit on steamboats on Saturday featured a life size wheel.

"I think that we're strong, and we're a healthy organization," Dahlgren said. "We're really positioned to grow, and we continue to do a good job."

Plans for the ideal new facility are still mounted on the wall, but "it's hard to predict" when that will be pursued, Dahlgren said.

The total 24,145 square foot facility would include 6,000 square feet of exhibit space, a theater and meeting rooms.

More space is "definitely needed," Pichette said.

He rehashed the museum's lack of storage space and minimal display room. According to the museum's description on the wall, only 300 of the museum's 7,500 artifacts are on exhibit.

"That's really hurting our mission on educating the public," Pichette said.

But there was at least no doubting the current facility was a draw. A steady stream cycled through the museum all day on Saturday.

Patrice Cory, taking in a display of a 19th-century kitchen, said she visits the museum often with her family.

"Each time we come, we discover something new," the Coeur d'Alene woman said, adding that the family has museum archive photos hung up at home. "It's always fun."

Jack Schwartzmeyer of Post Falls pored over museum archive photos for sale with his sons, Luke, 9, and Donald, 8.

Luke, a train enthusiast, seized a photo of a mammoth engine and pleaded to take it home.

"That's the best one. It's in Coeur d'Alene," Jack said, pointing out features.

"It's Coeur d'Alene?" Luke said, eyebrows lifting. "Steam engines are so cool. Why did they stop making them?"

"They got newer and better stuff," his father said.

Jack wants to expose the kids to history so they don't repeat it, he said.

A new museum facility has appeal, Jack acknowledged.

"I would miss it being in an old building," he said. "But I can understand wanting better insulation."

Pam Pfeifer, touring the museum with her husband, said it's crucial to have a facility with local history.

"Our children who may not get to big cities and see the big museums, they can at least get our own history," the Coeur d'Alene native said.

A larger museum would be ideal, Pfeifer added.

"A bigger museum would bring in more people, more tourism," she said. "More exhibits."

Fundraising for the facility will take quite an effort, Pichette remarked.

But worth it, to preserve the anecdotes and stories housed of the region.

"Whether you've been here all your life or less than a year, it's good to look back," he said. "People always want to get better and bigger and faster, but our history is where we came from."

Want to join?

To become a member of the Museum of North Idaho, call: 664-3448