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Lake Pend Oreille is 43.2 miles long, 61/4 miles wide and has a shoreline of 111.3 miles. Greatest depth is 1,150 feet. The lake level is controlled through coordinated operations at Albeni Falls Dam, owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Cabinet Gorge Dam. Owned and operated by Washington Water Power.
The hydropower system calls for a dropping of the lake level beginning October 1 to below 2,060 feet by November 1. The level continues to drop to a minimum of 2049.7 feet for the winter. The system is maintained basically to best balance technical and environmental factors involved by providing the greatest hydropower potential without adversely affecting beach spawning Kokanee. Spring storage, the filling of the lake begins in April and continues through early May, when summer level maintained at 2065.5feet.
The lake’s name is derived from an Indian tribe, when they called French trappers “Pend Oreilles,” because they wore pendant ornaments in their ear lobes. The name “Idaho” comes from a familiar Shoshone expression, pronounced “Ee-dah-how,” meaning the “sun is raising and it is time to get up.”
Idaho became a state July 3, 1890. The capitol is Boise; however, the original capitol was in Lewiston. Idaho’s nickname is “The Gem State”, because of the more than 80 varieties of gemstones found with its borders. The state flower is the Syringa and state motto is “Esto Perpetua” (may it last forever). The western white pine is the state tree and the mountain bluebird is the state bird.
The Pend Orelle Scenic Byway has installed wayside interpretive exhibits at five different Points of Interest easily enjoyed in a several hour drive. These exhibits can be found in turnouts at the Pack River Wildlife Area, Pend Oreille Geologic Site, Hope Community Historical Site, Denton Slough Waterfowl Area, and Cabinet Gorge Interpretive Site. You can learn of local wildlife, unbelievable glacial forces at work, cultural significance of the Kalispel Tribe of Indians, and the history of the past 200 years while enjoying some magnificent scenery.
