Library's history in the spotlight

COEUR d’ALENE — A new Inland Northwest Milestones lectures series launches today with a look back at the history of Coeur d’Alene Public Library.

The library started with a few shelves of books in the Dittemore & Keller Grocery store on Sherman Avenue in 1905.

The Coeur d’Alene Women’s Club was organized on Oct. 14, 1904, with the express purpose of developing a free library. The club sponsored a book donation party in Blackwell Park Pavilion in 1905, and more than 200 books were donated. They convinced Dittemore and Keller to donate some shelf space in their grocery store. By the end of that year it was obvious the grocery store was not adequate, so they leased three rooms above the Exchange National Bank on the southwest corner of Fourth and Sherman, which is today the Vault. By 1907, the library was growing and became too much for the Women’s Club. By the end of 1908, they had convinced the city of Coeur d’Alene to take over the cost of running the library. The city, after much debate, agreed to house the library on the second floor of the new City Hall in February of 1909. By the end of 1909 the city finally agreed to fund the library and appoint a board to run the affairs of the Coeur d’Alene City Library. And this is just the beginning.

Library employee David Townsend and local historian Robert Singletary will tell Coeur d’Alene Public Library’s whole story at 7 p.m. in the Community room at the library, 702 E. Front Ave.

Inland Northwest Milestones, presented by the Museum of North Idaho and Coeur d’Alene Public Library, is a series of lectures about the events, developments and people who shaped the history of the region.

Upcoming talks in the series

- The Sacred Heart Mission: Feb. 22 — the story of the oldest building in Idaho and its role in the history of the region’s first people, the Coeur d’Alenes.

- Lewis & Clark in Idaho: March 22 — The Corps of Discovery members were some of the first people of Euro-American descent to visit the area that would become Idaho and faced some of their greatest challenges here.

- Fort Sherman and the Beginning of Coeur d’Alene: April 26 — In the aftermath of the Battle of Little Bighorn, a fort and a town were born in the Idaho Territory.

- The Museum of North Idaho: May 24 — From its beginnings in the Fort Sherman Powder House on the campus of North Idaho College, the museum is celebrating 50 years of keeping regional history alive.

Inland Northwest Milestones will not continue through the summer months. A new series will be offered in the fall.

The Museum of North Idaho is located at 115 Northwest Blvd. in front of the Coeur d’Alene City Park. It is open Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., April 1 to Oct. 31.