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Lewiston
by Cheryl
Flory, Anthropologist/Historian
The Years to Statehood The rivers are our history, flowing and changing with time. Their currents carried the fortune of men --- fishing for survival, mapping new worlds, seeking riches of furs and gold, dreaming of lands and crops, battling currents for logs, taming currents for electric power and venturing into the deepest gorge in North America. The rivers were home to "brother salmon," food to the Nez Perce people who live along the shores for centuries. When Lewis and Clark floated down the Clearwater in 1805 and "discovered" Tsceminicum, they observed a flat, dry, treeless area. The actual Indian encampments were upstream where there was wood for fires.
Though some would subsequently pass through the area, like fur trapper Donald McKenzie, thousands came to stay after the discovery of gold in the North Fork of the Clearwater in 1860. River steamers like the "Okanagon," the "Colonel Wright" and the "Tenio" plied their way upriver brining men and supplies to the "tent city" of Lewiston. The failure of the mining claims soon caused Lewiston to dwindle in population from its gold rush census of about 2200 to less than 900 hearty and foresighted settlers who chose to make Lewiston their home.
In 1875 water from the Clearwater River was diverted into the "Lewiston Ditch," one of the first open irrigation systems in Idaho, providing water for lawns, flowers and trees, especially the poplars which lined the city's streets. Fireworks and speeches would mark July 3, 1890 and Idaho's entry into the Union. Finding a Niche in the West
Lewiston received an economic boost in 1893 when Federal Government passed the Dawes Act, allowing reservation land to be sold by the tribe, thereby opening up homesteading to thousands of farmers who flocked to the prairies surrounding the Lewiston valley. The untamed river reasserted itself in 1894, flooding one-third of the city's business district and one-fourth of its residential areas.
Rail service reached Lewiston in 1898, and the city celebrated the construction of a bridge spanning the Snake River the next year. The early 1900's were a time of growth and prosperity. Lewiston became a regional commercial hub. In 1917 what is now known as Highway 95 was extended up the Clearwater escarpment to form what was famously known as the "Spiral Highway," connecting Lewiston with the university towns of Moscow ID and Pullman WA, some 30 miles to the north. Travelers could stay in the newly-constructed Lewis-Clark Hotel, a grand establishment designed by famed architect Kirkland Cutter and built for the princely sum of $350,000.
By 1920, Lewiston's population had grown to 6,000 and it boasted a well-equipped hospital, municipal fire department, streetcars and fine schools. In 1927, the first dam to span the Clearwater was constructed by the Washington Water Power Company, providing both power and flood control. The next year the river would become a floating highway for log drives, delivering white pine to the newly-constructed Lewiston mill, the largest in the world for many years. The crash
of the New York Exchange on 23 October 1929 would send Lewiston into the
Depression. Jobs did become available in 1933 with the construction of
dams on the Columbia at Grand Coulee and Bonneville. By 1936 Lewiston was
beginning its economic recovery. Local building resumed, and the area known
as "The Orchards" was fully developed to produce lettuce and fruit for
export. The Post-War Boom
Economic forecasters predicted major growth for Lewiston after World War II. A new four-lane bridge was built across the Clearwater, not the first such structure but certainly the most indicative of future needs. Potlatch Forest Incorporated (now Potlatch) invested $12 million in a new pulp and paper mill. Empire Airlines received federal approval for interstate operations, and Lewiston became a key spot on flight paths. The 1950's were the "baby boom" for Lewiston as well. Three large elementary schools (Warner, Webster and Whitman) were under construction within three years of the end of the war. Children needed entertainment, and 1953 brought television to the valley. The concept of tourism entered the thinking of local officials. The local Kiwanians inaugurated the annual "Steelhead Derby," drawing avid fishermen from far and wide to catch the elusive "big one." In October 1957, 4,322 fish passed through the fish ladder at the Clearwater River. Main Street had long remained the center of commercial development, anchored by establishment like The Vogue, The Hollywood Shoppe, Idaho Department Store, J.C. Penny's, Montgomery Ward and the Bon Marche. However, by 1960, changed were being made. A major shopping complex was under consideration for an area at the edge of the then-city limits. Key firms like Sears, the Bon and Penny's, signed leases. Supermarkets began to serve the community at key sites, marking the beginning of the end for the neighborhood grocer. The shifting population of Lewiston the "The Orchards" (now South Lewiston) necessitated major commercial construction there, including doctors' offices, gas stations, and grocery and hardware stores. Consolidating the Gains
The 1970's saw momentous changes for Lewiston. "The Orchards" were annexed into the city, more than doubling its size and population. In 1975 Lower Granite Dam was completed downstream, and Lewiston became a true seaport, Idaho's only seaport. Slack water, levees, dikes, ponds are now a common sight, along with grain elevators and barge moorages. Sadly, the once-vibrant and vital downtown district was deteriorating. The Elks Temple burned and was relocated. Major businesses suffered a similar fate. In 1975 Lewiston established a local historic district in an effort to retain the unique nature of the original city. Wishing to improve the general appearance of the area, the city reintroduced tress along Main Street. Turn-of-the century buildings, like Morgan's Alley, were restored, creating a mini-mall of specialty shops. The Bollinger Hotel was refurbished for small businesses. Unfortunately, it too burned to the ground. The movement of business away from its historic center was not going to be stopped. Twenty-first Street, now a major north-south arterial, became known as "Restaurant Row" because of the number of major chains (including McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Skippers, Taco Time) that constructed franchise stores there. Old names were disappearing. The Lewiston Grain Growers, in business since the granting of statehood, was sold to Harvest State, a national conglomerate. W.E. Pinch and Morgan Brothers, two venerable names in the wholesale trade, closed their doors. Shoppers were increasingly drawn to Shopko, K-Mart and Wal-Mart. But the battleground wasn't only economic. Hydroelectric dams, which had brought flood control, power, transportation and recreation, were contributing to the demise of the native salmon. Multi-million dollar fish hatcheries were not solving the problem. Lewiston's future is now deeply embroiled in the debate as to whether the dams should be breached, allowing the Snake to run freely once again. In 200 years, Tsceminicum has changed from barren to bountiful, from a village to over 30,000 inhabitants, from a tent city to a major Idaho city. The rivers have been subdued. So where will our future go along the rivers of change? Fate acts in unexpected ways. The Nez Perce tribe had no idea that Elias Pierce would suddenly and forever change the region with his discovery of gold in 1860. Who would have predicted that people in another century would even be considering removing the dams that had brought them prosperity? Lewiston's future, its economic life, is controlled by many external factors. We cannot control the global price of lumber or grain. We cannot control the tide of business reorganization and down-sizing. A town of small shops and local produce is now driven by tourism, telemarketing and an unstable industrial climate. It will be interesting to see what happens to the "tent city" of Lewiston in the future. The rivers will still flow quietly by.
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