Books and DVDs on Idaho and the NW (Boise, Coeur d'Alene: crime, home)

[Love_Idaho]

It Happened in Idaho - Randy Stapilus - This is a really great book on the history of Idaho! It is split into stories lasting at most 5 or so pages long, so its really easy to read! Also, there is a movie on Polly Bemis called A Thousand Pieces of Gold, which I am sure you have all seen.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Resurrecting an old thread in time for Christmas:

If you're looking for a great Christmas gift for someone who loves North Idaho, get Legendary Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho's Wilderness of Water by Jane Fritz and Friends. Published by Keokee Books, Sandpoint 2010. It's an incredibly detailed travel guide to all the nooks and crannies of the lake, as well as the rivers and mountain ranges. And it's got maps and color photos! $24.

[selandra]

I was trying to remember one for the younger generation. I can't find my copy and amazon and the search engines aren't helping.

I remember it is about a young girl who moves to Idaho with her dad. Gets a horse, learns to barrel race, solves a lost gold mystery and stopes the bad guys. It's actually one of a series.. at least three books. Other than that I can't remember the name or author.

[selandra]

Originally Posted by selandra

I was trying to remember one for the younger generation. I can't find my copy and amazon and the search engines aren't helping.

I remember it is about a young girl who moves to Idaho with her dad. Gets a horse, learns to barrel race, solves a lost gold mystery and stopes the bad guys. It's actually one of a series.. at least three books. Other than that I can't remember the name or author.

Brain cells finally kicked in --- it's called the Crystal Blake series by Stephan and Janet Bly. 1986.

#1 Crystals' Perilous Ride
#2 Crystal's Blizzard Trek
#3 Crystal's Grand Entry
#4 Crystal's Mill Town Mystery
#5 Crystal's Rodeo Debut
#6 Crystal's Solid Gold Mystery

Being a horse crazy kid I loved this series. I believe it's based in Salmon area of Idaho. Great books for horse crazy young teen and preteen girls.

[elousv]

CDA Press has a limited edition coffee table book "North Idaho Memories: The Early Years 1800s-1939" $39.95. It was a joint project between the Press and the Museum of North Idaho.

[Alp-Nub]

"A Wild Cowboy" by Heidi Bigler-Cole: The story of Albert Campbell and the Circle C ranch in the New Meadows, Council, Bear area and a lot of the history of the region.

"Council Valley, Here They Labored" by Marguerite L. Diffendaffer. It is biography about the ealy families in the council region. DIFFENDAFFER START

[Clark Fork Fantast]

I just finished a really interesting novel I bought in a downtown Bonners Ferry bookstore; they have a huge collection of new and used books about local issues and by local authors, and I walked out of there with an armful of books--so nice to be able to pick books off a shelf and not just order them on Amazon...

Anyway, the book is Beyond the Sand Creek Bridge, by Scott Wyatt. Highland House Press, 2012. It takes place in 1882, among the Chinese workers who built the railroad from Sandpoint along Lake Pend Oreille and into Montana. It's such an unusual topic for a period novel, and I think Wyatt handles it well. It is a courtroom drama as well as a love story, and it has some interesting twists... What I particularly enjoyed was of course that it takes place in Sandpoint, Hope, and along the Clark Fork River, and it's clear that the author has studied newspapers, photos and other documents from the period.

[LionFamily]

Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast

I just finished a really interesting novel I bought in a downtown Bonners Ferry bookstore; they have a huge collection of new and used books about local issues and by local authors...

Holy cow, CFF! I seriously can't believe we haven't tripped over one another! Is that not the best bookstore, EVER???

[oldafretired]

Here's one about the history of the lower Clark Fork area. The first of a trilogy. Pretty pricey though.

Behind These Mountains, Vol. 1: People of the Shining Mountains Where the Clark's Fork River Churns: Mona Leeson Vanek: 9780940151000: Amazon.com: Books

Looks like you can get it as a kindle book for a whole lot less.

Amazon.com: Behind These Mountains, Vol. I: People of the Shining Mountains Where The Clark's Fork River Churns eBook: Mona Leeson Vanek: Kindle Store

[banjomike]

Nice revival of a good thread!

Newcomers may not know anything of the bloodiest chapter of Idaho's history- the mine strikes and riots of the Coeur d'Alene region of 1892 and 1899. Before they ended, dozens of people on all sides died, there were dynamitings, and a running gun battle on a hijacked train ensued. And then, the Governor of the time was assassinated by a bomb after he left office in 1905.

The trial of the assassin's cohorts became a national sensation that involved Clarence Darrow, Residents McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt, and many other famous people. It was the first trail of the century to be called The Trial Of The Century.

There are 2 good books about it.
One is old and out of print. I discovered it in the local library many years ago.
It's calle The Cabal of Death, and was printed by the Caxton Press in Caldwell.

It's condensed and compact story that gives a vivid portrait of the times and the main characters involved, and is well worth trying to dig up.

Another, much more detailed account was written around 1990, and was a Pulitzer prize winner. It's still availabale on Amazon, and while large, it's also a fascinating read that moves along like fiction. I've read it twice.
Big Trouble: A Murder in a Small Western Town Sets Off a Struggle for the Soul of America: J. Anthony Lukas: 9780684846170: Amazon.com: Books