From Plummer to Mullan

Water Mysteries and Other Curiosities

By Mary Terra-Berns

Coeur d’Alene Lake, which is twenty-five miles long and has a maximum depth of about 220 feet, is inhabited by large and small fish, along with a few “water mysteries.” According to a legend of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, people who witness a water mystery rising out of the lake die shortly after the experience—but if a small gift is placed where the mystery is witnessed, you may be able to pass without harm.

I came across this legend while investigating the history along the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes. It’s a rail-trail corridor stretching seventy-three miles from Plummer, in the Palouse Prairie just south of Coeur d’Alene Lake, to Mullan in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The water mystery legend was in a 1930 ethnographic report to the Smithsonian Institution by Franz Boas and James Teit. It was one of many intriguing and humorous stories I amassed for a trail guidebook I published with my friend and photographer Judi Cronin. For six months, I buried myself in books, reports, and old newspaper articles that described the world at another time in this part of the Idaho Panhandle.

This content is available for purchase. Please select from available options.
Register & Purchase  Purchase Only
Mary Terra-Berns

About Mary Terra-Berns

Mary Terra-Berns is a freelance writer and biologist with a Masters degree in fish and wildlife sciences. She has worked with rare species such as wolverines, Canada lynx, red-cockaded woodpeckers, and many not-so-rare species. An Idaho native, Mary enjoys hiking, fly-fishing, running, skiing, snow shoeing, and traveling. Her Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes guidebook can be purchased at xpertguide2.com.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *