Also known as Skitswish (Schi̲tsu'umsh), the Coeur d'Alene people traditionally occupied a 3.5 million acre territory in what is now known as the Panhandle area of northern Idaho and in eastern Washington and western Montana. Their villages were along the Coeur d'Alene, Clark Fork, Spokane, and St. Joe rivers, as well as on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene, Hayden Lake, and Lake Pend Oreille.
Their territory spanned from Lake Pend Oreille's southern tip in the north to the Bitterroot Range in Montana on the east, reaching down to the Palouse and the North Fork of the Clearwater River in the south, and extending to Steptoe Butte and slightly east of Spokane Falls in the west. At the heart of this area is Lake Coeur d'Alene.
Traditionally, the Coeur d'Alene people hunted deer, elk, and bear. They employed hunting methods that included driving deer into lakes, where they could be more easily speared, clubbed, shot with arrows, or drowned. Additionally, they fished, particularly along the St. Joe and Spokane rivers, where they caught trout, salmon, and whitefish using gaff hooks, spears, nets, traps, and angling techniques. Of course, they also gathered roots, seeds, nuts, fruits, and other edible plants, including water potatoes.
Along with other Interior Salish peoples, the Coeur d'Alene people first encountered Europeans in 1793. These were French Canadians, and Catholic missionaries soon followed. Many of the tribes were converted by missionaries under the leadership of Fr. Pierre-Jean De Smet, a Flemish Jesuit missionary who became known for his missionary work among American Indians.
This area came under the control of the United States government in 1846, after which European-American settlers began moving into the area, pressing the American Indian people who inhabited the region.
Conflicts led to the 1858 Skitswish War, also known as the Coeur d'Alene War, or the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene-Pend d'Oreille-Paloos War, which involved a series of conflicts between the allied tribes of the Coeur d'Alene (Skitswish), Pend d'Oreille (Kalispell), Spokane, Palouse, and Northern Paiute against the United States army in Washington and Idaho.
In May 1858, about a thousand Coeur d'Alene, Spokane, and Palouse attacked and defeated a force of 164 American troops under Colonel Edward Steptoe at the Battle of Pine Creek. On September 1, 1858, a larger force of 601 troops under Colonel George Wright defeated the allied tribes at the Battle of Four Lakes. Four days later, he defeated another Indian force, which also included the Kalispell, in the Battle of Spokane Plains. The U.S. Army hanged seventeen Palouse along Latah Creek.
Following the American Indian defeat in the Skitswish War, more European-American speculators came into the region, attracted by the discovery of silver in the north Panhandle.
In 1873, the area left to the Coeur d'Alene were reduced to 60,000 acres after President Ulysses S. Grant established the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation. In 1885, Congress had neither ratified the 1873 agreement nor compensated the tribe. In response to tribal petitions, the size of the reservation was further reduced to 345,000 acres.
Mining and smelting operations in the Panhandle area of Idaho during the 19th and 20th centuries resulted in hazardous waste pollution of the water and the air, contaminating thousands of acres of land and waterways in the Coeur d'Alene Reservation, an issue remains a concern.
Today, the tribe operates the Benewah Medical Center, a health care facility that opened in 1998, as well as the Coeur d'Alene Casno & Hotel, the Circling Raven Golf Club, the Benewah Automotive Center, the Benewah Market, and the first three floors of the Coeur d'Alene Resort.
Communities located within the reservation include Conkling Park, DeSmet, Parkline, Plummer, Rockford Bay, Tensed, Worley, and parts of Harrison and St. Maries.
This portion of our web guide on American Indians covers the Coeur d'Alene people, its tribes, and any other organizations, businesses, industries, health facilities, schools, events, or other entities. Businesses operated by individual Coeur d'Alene people would also be appropriate for this category.
Recommended Resources
The Coeur d'Alene Tribal School enrolls students in grades K-8 and is located in DeSmet, Idaho, on the southern end of the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation. The school was established after the Mission of the Sacred Heart Mission School closed in 1978. Its curriculum, learning process, enrollment policies, school board, principal, and teachers are introduced, along with a calendar of events, sports programs, other extracurricular activities, counseling services, and contacts.
http://cdatribalschool.org/
In the tribe's ancient language, the Coeur d'Alene are called Schitsu'umsh, which means "those who were found here" or "the discovered people." The federally recognized tribe is Headquartered in Plummer, Idaho, and it owns the Coeur d'Alene Reservation in northwestern Idaho. The tribal government includes the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and operates on a parliamentary system, with a tribal council elected by enrolled members. Contacts are posted.
https://www.cdatribe-nsn.gov/
Coeur d'Alene Tribe Development Corporation
Serving the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and its people, the Development Corporation owns and operates several local businesses that meet the community's needs for food, drinks, groceries, hardware, and automotive, including Benewah Auto Center, Benewah Market, Plummer Liquor Store, and Benewah Ace Hardware. The corporation also owns and operates farmland and farming operations on land owned entirely by the tribal government, allowing for self-sufficiency and income.
https://cdadevco.com/
The health and wellness center is owned and operated by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and is located in Benewah County, Idaho. It offers the community a wide range of health and wellness services, including primary care, holistic healing, preventative care, and wellness promotion. The center includes a gymnasium, fitness center, and aquatics complex and houses the Boys and Girls Club and Qhest Life programs. The center's location, hours, patient services, and an introduction to the staff are provided.
https://www.marimnhealth.org/
The City of Plummer is the largest city within the Coeur d'Alene Reservation. Its population is approximately one thousand, fewer than half of which identify as Native American. The official city website offers contacts for its administrative and departmental offices, public announcements, attractions, an overview of city services and programs, employment opportunities, a photo gallery, a calendar of events, and introductions to its mayor, council, and commissions.
https://www.cityofplummer.org/
Owned by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, Red Spectrum Communications provides unlimited Internet service for streaming movies, music, television, and games, with no hidden costs, overage fees, or contracts. Its plans are listed side-by-side, with the costs and features of each, including residential and business classes. Its service area, terms of service, and surplus supplies available for sale are featured. Clients may access their accounts and make payments online.
https://www.red-spectrum.com/
Situated in southwestern Kootenai County, Idaho, Worley is within the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation. Seventeen acres of tribal community gardens are just north of the city. The city has a population between 200 and 300, mostly white, with about 28% Native American. The addresses of the city offices are set forth, along with contacts and hours of operation. City programs and services, a city council agenda and minutes, a calendar of events, and announcements are included.
http://www.cityofworley.org/
