Laclede, Idaho — A River Corridor That Changed Jobs

Laclede sits along the Pend Oreille River west of Sandpoint, where forest and water once formed parts of the same industrial transportation system.

Timber operations worked the surrounding country while river and rail corridors moved wood, supplies and people through the valley. A community developed around that movement and the jobs attached to it.

As trucking replaced more river and rail transportation, the shoreline acquired a different economic value. Cabins, recreation and residential property became increasingly important, while U.S. 2 carried the through traffic once distributed among older systems.

The Pend Oreille River never changed location. What changed was the work people expected it to perform—from industrial corridor to an increasingly residential and recreational waterfront.