Cisco's Gallery is among the longest-tenured and most successful businesses in downtown Coeur d'Alene, operating out of the same location on North Fourth St. for the past three decades. 

The Gallery deals in rare and exceptional Native American and Western Art, artifacts, antiques, southwestern and estate jewelry, rustic lodge furnishings and taxidermy. 

"I started the Gallery in 1996 when 30% of businesses on Sherman were going out of business," said Cisco's Gallery owner Sam Kennedy. "I rented this building to start with and then purchased the building next to it, so we have about 14,000 square feet of retail space now." 

The Kennedy family hails from Clear Lake, Iowa. Sam worked in agricultural construction and served as chairman of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. His wife, Denise, owned an antique mall in Clear Lake from 1989 to 1993. They were looking for a place to relocate and decided Coeur d'Alene was the place to be. 

Sam said his interest in historical items developed when he learned about his family history as a young lad. 

"My great-grandmother was the first non-Native American woman born in the North Dakota territory," Sam said. "My grandfather was Irving Wallace. He was a freelance writer and set numerous world records in sports — he once ran from Canada to Mexico in 17 days. He also knew the Wright Brothers and Babe Ruth and had some baseballs signed by him." 

Sam said he was also active in early Hollywood. 

"He brought Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, the Lone Ranger and Rex Allen to the local North Iowa County Fair, and they'd stay with him," Sam said. "I have signed pictures of them when they were 5- to 8-years-old sitting on their horses." 

Over the past 30 years, Sam has amassed an inventory of more than 12,000 items. 

Among them are authentic Navajo rugs, baskets, beadwork, totem, pipes, Concho Belts, tomahawks, Sioux Beaded Dolls, a pair of Geronimo’s Apache moccasins, pieces from Chief Joseph's March, a military chest box from Fort Sherman, items from Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, an original desk piece from the Irma Hotel that Buffalo Bill started in Cody, Wyo., and paintings from local artists. 

One of his more exotic collections Sam had on display at the Gallery for close to 10 years was the Trevilian Collection; the personal belongings of General George Armstrong Custer, which includes: 

• Custer’s full-dress uniform worn at his wedding, including a chapeau hat, long frock-style dress coat, dress trousers, double-striped, woven belt sash and dress gloves. 

• His field writing desk, still having the original blotters and the black leather that held it. 

• And a presentation sword made by Tiffany’s, presented in 1863 from the 5th Michigan Cavalry Regiment, still in its original inscribed rosewood box complete with sword belt and knot. 

"We sold the collection a week ago. That sword was probably one of the two most valuable swords in American history, the first being Lee's that was surrendered at the Appomattox Court House," Sam said. "It (the collection) had only changed hands four times before we purchased it. We had it on loan to museums for about 20 years and had it on display here and just recently sold it." 

Cisco's Gallery at 220 N. Fourth St. is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 208-769-7575 for more information. Visit ciscosgallery.com to see the Gallery's collection.

    The Trevilian Collection, which was sold last week, includes General George Armstrong Custer's personal belongings and the sword the 5th Michigan Cavalry Regiment presented to him in 1863.
  

    Geronimo’s Apache moccasins are among 12,000 items inventoried at Cisco's Gallery.
  

    Sioux beaded dolls.
  

    State flags display.
  

Now the TidBits   

New and Upcoming  

• Jersey Mike's, 8289 N. Highway 41 in Post Falls, is now open. 

• Mor Furniture for Less, located in the Prairie Shopping Center in Hayden, is open. 

• The Flying Pickle, a state-of-the-art pickleball facility, is now open at The Pointe in Post Falls on 140 N. Beck Road.   

• Golden Rule Brake at 3637 N. Government Way is open for business. 

• The Crescent Moon Bakery at 315 E. Walnut in Coeur d'Alene is now open. 

• Jefe's Tacos and Tequila at 761 N. Idaho St. in Post Falls is now open.   

• Dragon Fly Support Services, a mental health and substance use counseling facility, is now open at 601 E. Seltice Way in Post Falls.   

• Les Schwab Tire Center is now open at 1656 N. Nicholson Center in Post Falls. 

• Sierra Ranch Chili in the Silver Lake Mall is now open. 

• The Coral Cafe is open at 1524 E. Sherman Ave. in Coeur d'Alene.

Ongoing Projects     

• American Universal Storage is planned for Spirit Lake along Highway 41, across from the Jiffi Stop.     

• The Ross Point Gas Station is under construction at 310 N. Ross Point Road in Post Falls.        

• A new commercial building is planned for the Riverstone development at 1570 W. Tilford Lane and will bring at least one new dining option to the area. The 7,500-square-foot mixed-use building is targeted for completion this summer.     

• The 33-unit, mixed-use "Nonna" building across from Post Falls City Hall on Spokane Street is anticipated to be completed by October of 2026.  

• A five-story, 173-room Hilton Dual Brand Hotel is planned for a 2.71-acre parcel of land off Lee Court and Appleway Avenue in Coeur d'Alene. The project's start and completion dates are not yet determined. 

Post Falls Business Licenses Filed 

• Legendary Paw Spa, LLC 

• A Touch of the Cascades Landscaping, LLC 

• Inland Motors 

• Two Left Feet, LLC 

• Nightshade Alchemy, LLC 

• • •  

Have a tip on happenings in the local business world? Contact Bob at [email protected].