Logging in North Idaho

How to use this page

This Logging in North Idaho Inquiry Kit highlights digital resources curated with Idaho educators in mind. This page was curated by librarians and features historical materials about one of the region’s most significant industries, alongside links to larger collections teachers and students can explore.

The larger collections used in this kit are:

About Mining and Logging in Idaho

The Logging in North Idaho Inquiry Kit is an online showcase of historical materials related to an industry that transformed the landscape and the economy of the region. Resource extraction drove Idaho’s development, and timber remains a significant export for the state. North Idaho’s history was shaped by the experiences of people working in extractive industries, which also included mining, just as the physical act of extraction shaped the landscape. This teaching collection highlights photographs, documents, and oral histories that can help students understand what logging looked like and ways that people were impacted by the industry.

Students are often interested to learn about how technology in the logging industry has changed over time. Impressive pictures of giant trees being pulled by horses and crews of men floating down river on long drives inspire inquiry.

Hearing from historical figures in the first-person is a valuable connection point for students seeking to understand past events. Oral history interviews with people employed in the logging industry can help illuminate the dangers of the industry and environmental impacts to the surrounding areas.

One of Idaho’s most famous logging communities was Potlatch, a true company town, owned and operated by the timber corporation. Through the company’s newsletter archive, students can learn about a local example of this type of corporate social engineering that could be found across the US.

A group of men using peaveys, or wooden levers fitted with sharp spikes, to roll logs down the river during a log drive.
A group of men using peaveys, or wooden levers fitted with sharp spikes, to roll logs down the river during a log drive.
An interview with Elmer Flodin who recounts his time as a logger with the Potlatch Lumber Company.
An interview with Elmer Flodin who recounts his time as a logger with the Potlatch Lumber Company.
The July 1952 issue of the Potlatch Family Tree newsletter which includes an article and photos detailing the company's 21st annual log drive.
The July 1952 issue of the Potlatch Family Tree newsletter which includes an article and photos detailing the company's 21st annual log drive.

All of the linked Digital Collections follow a pretty standard format. You can learn more about how to navigate a digital collection, with K-12 teaching in mind, at How to Use.

Marylyn Cork Priest River Historical Collection

The link below will take you the Marylyn Cork Priest River Historical Collection. Cork’s collection of historic photographs, assembled over many decades, captures many facets of Priest River’s history from the last century. Alongside photos of lumberjacks and log drives, you can find pictures of historic schools, homesteads, and other scenes of daily life.

You can learn more about how to navigate a digital collection, with K-12 teaching in mind, at How to Use.

Explore the collection

Highlighted Items

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Three men and a child pose in front of a large log on a wooden wagon. Two of the men are holding peaveys.
Three men and a child pose in front of a large log on a wooden wagon. Two of the men are holding peaveys.
The Van Dever homestead in Priest Lake. This photo was taken between 1890-1920.
The Van Dever homestead in Priest Lake. This photo was taken between 1890-1920.

Family Tree Collection, a Potlatch Forest, Inc. Newsletter

The link below will take you the Family Tree Collection, a Potlatch Forest, Inc. Newsletter. The corporate newsletter was just one way that it attempted to shape the culture of Potlatch, Idaho, its company town. In the newsletter students can find articles encouraging workplace safety, sharing updates about company business, and detailing social events hosted by the corporation.

You can learn more about how to navigate a digital collection, with K-12 teaching in mind, at How to Use.

Explore the collection

Highlighted Items

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The August 1952 issue of the Potlatch Family Tree newsletter, which celebrates Potlatch Lumber Company's 25th anniversary. The issue contains an article about the first 25 years of the organization's history.
The August 1952 issue of the Potlatch Family Tree newsletter, which celebrates Potlatch Lumber Company's 25th anniversary. The issue contains an article about the first 25 years of the organization's history.
The July 1947 issue of the Potlatch Family Tree Newsletter. The issue contains articles issues facing the company at that time, such as reforestation efforts and refrigeration for camps.
The July 1947 issue of the Potlatch Family Tree Newsletter. The issue contains articles issues facing the company at that time, such as reforestation efforts and refrigeration for camps.

Latah County Oral History Collection

The link below will take you the Latah County Oral History Collection. This oral history project was conducted during America’s bicentennial, in the 1970s, and focused on recording the stories of people who had helped settle the region. Alongside stories about folks making a living as loggers, you can find stories about homesteading, one-room schoolhouses, and much more.

You can learn more about how to navigate a digital collection, with K-12 teaching in mind, at How to Use.

Explore the collection

Highlighted Items

An interview with John Diamantis, who recounts his experiences as a Greek immigrant logger with the Potlatch lumber company. He discusses the culture in the logging camps, effects of the IWW strike victory, and the dismantling of the Elk River mill.
An interview with John Diamantis, who recounts his experiences as a Greek immigrant logger with the Potlatch lumber company. He discusses the culture in the logging camps, effects of the IWW strike victory, and the dismantling of the Elk River mill.
An interview with Charles Jelleberg, who recounts his experiences as the son of Norwegian homesteaders and later as a horse teamster and sawmiller. He discusses the handling of horse teams, logging accidents, and homesteading communities.
An interview with Charles Jelleberg, who recounts his experiences as the son of Norwegian homesteaders and later as a horse teamster and sawmiller. He discusses the handling of horse teams, logging accidents, and homesteading communities.
A series of interviews with Ione Adair, who recounts her family's life in Moscow's McConnell mansion as well as her experiences as a county assessor, teacher, postal clerk, and timber homesteader.
A series of interviews with Ione Adair, who recounts her family's life in Moscow's McConnell mansion as well as her experiences as a county assessor, teacher, postal clerk, and timber homesteader.

Trees Grew Tall Photograph Collection

The link below will take you the Trees Grew Tall Photograph Collection. The featured photographs were taken or collected by John B. Miller during the years 1898 to 1943. They were used in Miller’s book The Trees Grew Tall, an eclectic history of Bovill, Idaho and the surrounding areas.

You can learn more about how to navigate a digital collection, with K-12 teaching in mind, at How to Use.

Explore the collection

Highlighted Items

A black-and-white photograph from above a small mountain town.
A man drives a team of horses pulling a logging dolly. This photo was taken in approximately 1908.
A black-and-white photograph of four men posing and facing the camera. One man sits on a wooden chair and the others stand behind him
Potlatch Lumber Company's Camp 8 near Bovill, Idaho. The caption from Miller's book explains which parts of the camp are visible in the photo. This photo was taken in approximately 1912
A black-and-white photo of a brick building with burn marks and broken windows. The building is on a downtown street where a few people are walking.
A Shay locomotive loaded with logs traveling on a trestle over a ravine. This photo was taken in approximately 1910.

Relevant standard

4.SS.1.2.2 Describe the role of fur trading and the discovery of gold and silver in the settlement of Idaho

Suggest a standard

Are you a teacher in Idaho using this resource in the classroom? Suggest a standard you think might apply

Notes