hope, id

Hope began to grow in 1882 when the Northern Pacific came through and in 1900 set its Rock Mountain division point in the hillside village. Incorporated in 1903, the village was named in honor of the veterinarian who tended the construction horses. A wise and kindly man, Dr. Hope was widely respected. Hope was the largest town in the area during the 1880s, achieving prominence as the Rocky Mountain division point on the Northern Pacific line. Engines turned around in the large roundhouse, and the railroad built shops, offices, and a "beanery" there.

The Hotel Jeannot was able to capitalize on this business with its location right above the depot, and with it's tunnels providing easy access for passengers to the hotel. Many say that the tunnels were used to entertain these Chinese “coulees,” who were normally not allowed in the establishments that served the locals and travelers.

When the division point moved to Sandpoint, Hope started to become the draw it is today. The hotel continued to attract people until the 1960's, partly because the picturesque setting of the town beside Lake Pend Oreille attracted many tourists. Some of them prominent, such as; J.P. Morgan, Teddy Roosevelt, Gary Cooper, and Bing Crosby.

The original Hotel Jeannot (now Hotel Hope) was a wooden structure which burned down in about 1886. It was then that Joseph M. Jeannot started on his fireproof commercial building, which he shared with his brother Louis. He constructed one section at a time, and added on over the years, finally completing the three-bay, two story hotel in 1898. J. M. Jeannot's hotel and saloon were not his only business interests. He was also involved in mining and had several claims across Lake Pend Oreille in the area of Green Monarch Mountain. Hope had a large Chinese population which had arrived with the railroad, and Jeannot supposedly took advantage of this source of cheap labor for his mines. According to one of Jeannot's friends, he allowed these men to use the meat cooler under the hotel as a clubhouse. They gained access to this room through the small tunnel which connected it to the railroad depot, thus bypassing the more obvious entrances. This vault in the hotel is one of the few sites left in Hope which may be connected with the large number of Chinese who used to live in the town.

Hope has such a large artist population, it is considered North Idaho’s first Artist Colony. Edward Keinholz was our first World-famous creator. Now the Artist Tour makes so many stops in Hope that it would be next to impossible to visit each studio in the area in just one or two days. Hope enjoys a wonderful summer season, and in addition to the boating are some famous digs such as the Floating Restaurant and Dock of the Bay. Icehouse Pizza regularly has open air concerts, and the Hope Market has some of the best Gourmet faire in North Idaho. There is now a great High-end Gourmet Restaurant in Clark Fork, and the easy access to picturesque Sandpoint makes Hope one of the most desired areas in Bonner County.

Sandpoint, id

The National Press that Sandpoint, Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort, and Lake Pend Oreille have received in the last couple of years has been astonishing. Astonishing only if you haven’t been here. Our area has been featured in USA Today and Smart Money Magazine. Sunset magazine called us the “ West’s best small town.” National Geographic Adventure magazine voted Sandpoint one of the 10 best adventure towns in the nation. Outside magazine featured Schweitzer & named Sandpoint the “ cool Northwest’s hot property.” Schweitzer was in Away.com and has been in many ski mags such as Ski Snowboard. Forbes.com loved our t elecommuting, MSNBC said it again, & Cabin Life, Cabin Living called Sandpoint “the quintessential Western outdoor lover’s town.”

Why do all of these publications find Sandpoint so alluring? Some say it is because of the true small town appeal, with less than 10,000 residents. For others it is the breath-taking scenery. We have perhaps the most beautiful by-way in America, the second largest lake in the west, & it takes less than half an hour to get to the top of Schweitzer Mountain, a top-rated ski haven over looking Lake Pend Oreille, which was featured in 48° North Sailing Magazine. Summers have more sports than many cities & year-round the fine people of the community have festivals and happenings that make the heart sing. But if what you are there are truly few places left like North Idaho.

Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort

Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort is a ski area in northern Idaho, 12 miles (19 km) northwest of the city of Sandpoint in Bonner County. It overlooks Lake Pend Oreille to the southeast with views of the Bitterroot, and Selkirk and Cabinet mountain ranges.

Schweitzer has a summit elevation of 6,400 feet above sea level with a vertical drop of 2,400 feet. The average annual snowfall is over 300 inches (762 cm). There are 67 named runs and open bowls on Schweitzer's 2900 skiable acres.

Six chairlifts (a "six-pack", a quad, and 4 doubles) and a T-bar surface lift serve terrain rated at 20% beginner, 40% intermediate, 35% advanced, 5% expert. The slopes on the front side (Schweitzer Basin) face east and south, those on the back side (Colburn Basin) face mostly northeast.