Copeland, Idaho — Mountains Step Aside for Farming

Copeland sits on the remarkably flat floor of the Kootenai Valley north of Bonners Ferry.

The landscape looks almost misplaced in northern Idaho. Mountains rise sharply on both sides while broad fields occupy the ground between them.

Ancient lake and river processes deposited the sediments that created that fertile valley floor. Later dikes and drainage works made more of it dependable for agriculture.

Grain, hay and livestock took advantage of ground unusually friendly to machinery for the Panhandle.

The nearby Kootenai River remains both resource and threat, so flood control is part of the agricultural system rather than background infrastructure.

Copeland's defining feature is not a downtown. It is the startling amount of flat land the mountains left behind.