Books

During the Idaho State Centennial in 1990, the Bonner County Centennial Committee looked for a way to make local history accessible to residents and tourists. I volunteered to write a booklet of driving tours and one year later, the committee published Driving Past: Tours of Historical and Geological Sites in Bonner County, Idaho. Tony MacLeod provided the geological commentary. All proceeds benefited the Bonner County Historical Society.

Fifteen years later, the director of the Bonner County Historical Society approached me about updating Driving Past. It was early in the bicentennial of David Thompson’s travels through the Pacific Northwest and she thought it would be good to expand the booklet to include more about Thompson’s time in what is now northern Idaho. I agreed to take on what seemed like a modest effort. Somehow the project expanded well beyond David Thompson until, seven years later, there is an entirely new version of Driving Past.

This new book has more than 300 pages of local history, generously illustrated with historical photographs from the collections of the Bonner County Historical Society. The material is presented as short vignettes and stories, organized into 16 tours of primary and secondary roads in the county. You can explore the area either while driving or simply relaxing in your living room.

The books are available for $19.95 (plus tax) from the following outlets:
Sandpoint: Corner Book Store, Vanderfords, Bonner County Historical      Society
Bonners Ferry: Bonners Books
Priest River: Priest River Ace Hardware
Priest Lake: Hills Resort, Elkins Resort, Entree Gallery, Priest Lake Museum, Priest Lake State Park (Indian Creek)
Bayview: Ralph’s Cafe, Farragut State Park
Blanchard: Stoneridge
Coeur d’Alene: Well-Read Moose, Hastings

If you don’t live close to one of these fine stores, you can purchase a book from me for a total of $24.50 ($19.95 plus $1.20 tax and $3.35 postage). Please contact me at flumecreekhs@gmail.com to make arrangements.