Museum Photo: Ohio Match Company

The Ohio Match Company, one of Coeur d’Alene’s largest logging and lumbering firms, started operations in 1921. Shortly afterwards, they built a logging railroad from Garwood, on the Spokane International Railroad, into the Hayden Lake drainage, up and over the divide into Burnt Cabin Creek and down to the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River. From there the railroad branched up and down the river, with spurs up various side drainages. This was a well built, standard gauge railroad. Millions of board feet of sawlogs, primarily white pine, were transported from the woods to the mill, pulled by the Heisler Stream locomotive. Logs were brought to the railroad from the woods by a combination of direct skidding, chutes and flumes, and later by truck. In the late 1930’s truck hauling replaced the railroad for the entire distance, the rails were pulled and the roadbed converted to a highway which still receives heavy use.
Museum of North Idaho photo Log-10-57.
The Museum Store carries a wide selection of regional history books, Idaho Silver and other items. For a summary collection of brief essays about people, places and historical occurrences that took place in North Idaho at the turn of the 19th century and beyond pick up J.P. Straven’s A Historic Journey Through The Best of Idaho: People-Places-Milestones. Admission is $4 for adults, $1 for kids over 6, family rate $10 (2 adults and children under 16). Members admitted free. The feature exhibit is “Ties to the Past: Railroad History in the Coeur d’Alene Region”. Museum visitors receive a one-hour free parking pass in the Museum lot. 208-664-3448.