Museum Busy Making History
Historians, rejoice. Your written work, solidly researched and factual, has a home if it isn’t dull as dirt.
“We want to get the word out that we’re in the publishing business,” says Dorothy Dahlgren, director of the Museum of North Idaho. “We want history of the area, and we’re willing to work with people in editing.”
Good news for a lot of history buffs intimidated by the publishing world.
The museum backed into the business in 1990, Idaho’s centennial year. For a centennial project, Dorothy and historian Simone Kincaid collected old photographs and stories of Kootenai County.
They created seven displays, each with about 30 photos and short explanations. People loved them and wanted them in a book. Dorothy and Simone figured, “Why not?”
A book was more work and more costly than they imagined. They had to write much more about each photo. They had to find someone to put it together professionally. They had to dish out $30,000 before the book ever hit stores.
“It was scary,” Dorothy says. “I had to go to the museum board and say, ‘This will make money.’ I felt like a used car salesman. I was very uncomfortable.”
“In All the West, No Place Like This” did make money - enough to persuade the museum to publish another book.
“Up the Swiftwater,” by Sandra Crowell and David Asleson, is a history of the St. Joe country that the museum wanted as a resource. It was out of print, so Dorothy contacted the authors and offered to reprint it.
Robert Singletary’s “Kootenai Chronicles” followed, and then Stanley Johnson’s “The Milwaukee Road in Idaho.” Johnson’s book is a guided tour of an old railroad line that’s become a favorite with hikers, mountain bikers and railroad historians.
Authors haven’t plagued the museum with their submissions.
“We’ve had to go looking,” Dorothy says. But she wants the museum to stay in publishing and says it offers a better deal to authors than many publishers.
“We’re small, easy to work with, flexible,” she says. “We try to match the royalties of any other publishing house. History is a profession. People deserve to be compensated.”
Light show
Stray east out of Coeur d’Alene to the Cataldo area and you’ll see Christmas lights all over Tamarack Ridge, says Ruth Hussa.
Jean and Leonard Lehtola started on their elaborate display before Thanksgiving, and Irv Sisson offers a whole avenue of lighted trees just below the ridge.
On Thanksgiving Day, I saw a man in Coeur d’Alene’s public golf course neighborhood stringing lights all the way to the top of a towering pine tree in his front yard. Now that’s holiday spirit.
Toy town
The Marine Corps Reserve and Marine Corps League jumped into the Santa role the minute Thanksgiving ended. They placed barrels for the collection of new toys all over town and started handing out the bounty this week.
The toys go to families who can’t afford much for Christmas. If that describes you, head to Health and Welfare Family and Child Services at 1250 Ironwood Dr., Suite 100, in Coeur d’Alene to prove your need on paper. Bring any documents that will help.
The department will give you a paper to take to the National Guard Armory, 5555 Seltice Way, where the Marines are distributing the toys Mondays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m.
Best present ever
What gift would you like to see North Idaho receive this year? A resolution to the highway dilemma for Sandpoint? A return of highpaying jobs for Shoshone County? Dream big for Cynthia Taggart, “Close to Home,” 608 Northwest Blvd., Suite 200, Coeur d’Alene, ID, 83814; fax to 765-7149; call 765-7128; or e-mail to cynthiat@spokesman.com.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo