Lake Pend Oreille

         
           8. Another beautiful lake for which I am thankful is Lake Pend Oreille in North Idaho. I’ve heard it said, but I’m not sure it’s true, that Lake Pend Oreille is the largest fresh water lake west of the Mississippi in the United States. I have every reason to believe this is true because except for the Great Salt Lake (which obviously doesn’t count as fresh water) I see no other such large bodies of water on the map.

            Because of its great size and dept Pend Oreille has a rich history in our nation’s presence in World War II. And because of where it is that history is largely unknown to the rest of the country. During the war it served as the second largest naval base in the country mainly for submarine testing. Because of its isolation it was felt that it would go undetected by the Axis powers. That proved to work for us. Farragut Naval Base on the southwestern shores of the lake is now a popular state park but part of the old base is still used for testing on the edge of the park in tiny Bayview, Idaho. The only building left of the huge naval facility is the brig. The rest of the buildings were all hastily erected of green lumber which warped and twisted with the drying of age so they were all torn down.

            My childhood memories of the lake were mainly just trips to or beyond Sandpoint and the drive over the long bridge that extends south of Sandpoint toward Coeur d’Alene. As an adult my memories are of cross country races at Farragut State Park and weddings on the beach in Hope. Unlike the other lakes of North Idaho, I haven’t spent hours swimming in its waters or hiking its shores. I know its beauty more from the seat of a car than anything. On the North shore the mountains are slightly removed from the shores but in the south of Farragut they jut majestically out of the black waters that seem to penetrate to the center of the earth.

            Most of the lake is largely unpopulated and the east side is not easily accessed. Sure Clark Fork, Hope, Bayview and Sandpoint rest on its shores but the lake is huge. And most of it looms large in my imagination because I’ve never been to those distant shores. While I do hope to visit those areas, I also love how it reflects Idaho and remains aloof from human distraction. That intese beauty brought from water, mountains and isolation is what makes me such a huge lover of Lake Pend Oreille.