Kingston, Idaho — Junction at the Door of the Silver Valley

Kingston occupies a place where northern Idaho's geography forces travelers to make a decision.

Interstate 90 follows the main valley east toward Kellogg and the Silver Valley. The North Fork Coeur d'Alene River corridor turns away toward forest, former mining country and recreation. Homes and highway businesses fit into the limited ground between river and mountains.

Mining and timber once made the junction industrially useful. Fishing, boating and public-land recreation now send different traffic along many of the same routes.

Kingston has never needed a grand civic center to explain itself. The junction is the center, and the mountains make sure everyone notices it.