History
THE lodge
AT CASCO BAY
IN TRANSIT
AT COUGAR BAY
One of the oldest log structures on Lake Coeur D’Alene, the Cougar Bay Lodge was built during the Great Depression on the shores of Casco Bay by master log smiths that hand picked and crafted each cedar log from the floating saw mill inventories in neighboring Cougar Bay. Formerly used as the summer residence of the Hagadone family, the Lodge was spared demolition and barged around the point in 2008 to the scenic western shoreline of Cougar Bay. The Anthony family purchased the Lodge in 2018 and immediately started an extensive restoration to return this historically important log structure to its former glory.
THE bAY
THE OLD COUGAR BAY
FROM COMMERCE TO CONSERVATION
THE NEW COUGAR BAY
Cougar Bay is the last undeveloped shallow bay at Lake Coeur d’Alene’s northern end. It contains rich wildlife habitats in its water, wetland, and uplands. Realizing Cougar Bay is a threatened and irreplaceable natural resource, many local people have worked hard to preserve it from development and other disruptive intrusions. As a result, Cougar Bay’s shoreline is now mostly preserved in its natural state. What was formerly home to vast log booms and tug boat traffic is now open space and one of the regions most treasured year-round recreational destinations for naturalists, hikers, kayakers, hunters, and fishermen.
The city
DOWNTON WATERFRONT
SHERMAN AVENUE
VIEW TO COUGAR BAY
Until the early 1890s, Coeur d’Alene served as trading outpost and then railroad/steamboat transfer hub between the mines in the Silver Valley and the smelters they fed. In the early 1900s a major timber boom caused the population to increase 16-fold. Today, Coeur D’Alene has been transformed from mill town to international resort destination for people wanting to experience the best that Northern Idaho has to offer.
The setting
