Wild Place (Paperback)

Remote and rugged, Idaho’s Priest Lake remains a wild place, with brutal winters and an upper lake accessible only by foot, mountain bike, or boat. Even so, beginning in the 1890s a wide cast of homesteaders, prospectors, speculators, and loggers tried their best to tame it.

Despite impressive forests, turn-of-the-century Western expansion bypassed the area, sparing its idyllic beauty. In 1897 President Grover Cleveland created the Priest River Forest Reserve, initiating an enduring tension between public and private lands. Soon both timber and summer cottages were in high demand. Rangers doled out permits, scrappy residents eked out a living, and families created a cherished seasonal community.

Devastating wildfires initiated profound change, leading the Civilian Conservation Corps to concentrate on fire suppression. After World War II, population growth accelerated, electricity became commonplace, and a local newspaper crowed, “Priest Lake has become a cult with many vacationists.” Wild Place traces the region’s history, focusing on little-known yet captivating stories of its colorful characters.

Kris Runberg Smith is professor of history at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. She earned her Ph.D. in American Studies from Saint Louis University, a M.A. in American History from Washington State University, and a B.A. in Museum Science from University of Idaho. She has written for both academic and popular audiences. She edited Pioneer Voices of Priest Lake for the Priest Lake Museum in 2007. Her family connections to Priest Lake date back to 1897.

Tom Weitz is a retired geologist and mining manager. He earned a M.S. degree in Geosciences from the University of Arizona, and a B.S. degree in Geology from Washington State University. Tom first came to Priest Lake in 1959, and now lives at the lake full time with his wife Anne. He has served as president of the Priest Lake Museum Association since 2011.