| Heyburn State Park | |
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| Idaho State Park | |
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Heyburn State Park
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| named for: Weldon B. Heyburn | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Idaho |
| County | Benewah |
| Location | Plummer [1] |
| - coordinates | |
| - elevation | 2,385 ft (727 m) [1] |
| land | 5,774 acres (2,337 ha) |
| - water | 2,332 acres (944 ha) |
| Highest point | |
| - elevation | 3,366 ft (1,026 m) |
| Lowest point | |
| - elevation | 2,128 ft (649 m) |
| Founded | 1908 |
| Managed by | State of Idaho Parks and Recreation |
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Location of Heyburn State Park in Idaho
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| Website : Heyburn State Park | |
Heyburn State Park is an Idaho state park in Benewah County, Idaho in the United States. The park, founded in 1908, is the oldest state park in the Pacific Northwest.[2] There are 5,744 acres (2,325 ha) of land and 2,332 acres (944 ha) of water in the park on three lakes. Heyburn Lake State Park is open for year-round recreation including camping, boating, hiking, horseback riding, fishing and picnicking.
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The Coeur d'Alene were the first inhabitants in what is now Heyburn State Park. Originally members called themselves, "Schitsu'umsh," meaning "The Discovered People" or "Those Who Are Found Here."[3] The Natives found an abundance of fish in the three lakes of the park as well as in the Saint Joe River. Waterfowl inhabited the wetlands and deer, bear and various birds were plentiful in the grassy meadows and slopes of the surrounding mountains.[2] Prior to the arrival of European American settlers, the Coeur d'Alene lived in what would become the Idaho Panhandle. The first Europeans to encounter the Couer d'Alene were French traders and trappers.[4] They found the tribe to be experienced and skilled at trading, thus the name "Coeur d'Alene," meaning "heart of the awl." One French trader described the tribe as "the greatest traders in the world."[4] The tribe ranged over an area of over 4 million acres (16,000 km²) of grassy hills, camas-prairie, wooded mountains, lakes, marshes and river habitat in northern Idaho, eastern Washington and western Montana.[4]
The Coeur d'Alene lands were reduced to approximately 600,000 acres (2,400 km²) in 1873 when U.S. President Ulysses Grant established the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation. Successive government acts trimmed their property to 345,000 acres (1,400 km²).[3] Heyburn State Park was formed from 5,500 acres (22 km2) of land and 2,333 acres (9.44 km2) of water that were taken from the Coeur d'Alene on April 20, 1908 when President William H. Taft deeded the land to the state for the creation of Heyburn State Park named for United States Senator Weldon B. Heyburn of Idaho.[2]
Construction of many of the park's facilities took place during the Great Depression. The Civilian Conservation Corps was one of the many New Deal programs enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to provide work for the unemployed. Members at Camp SP-1 in Heyburn State Park built a lodge, roads, bridges, trails, picnic areas and shelters and campgrounds.[2] Many of the facilities built by the CCC are still in use.
Heyburn State Park is open for year-round recreation. The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes is a 72 miles (116 km) paved bike trail that passes through the park. It crosses the Saint Joe River in the park on a 3,100 feet (940 m) high trestle. The river and Hidden Bay, Chatcole Lake, and Benewah Lake, all sections of the larger Lake Coeur d'Alene, are open for fishing. Common game fish include bass, pike and pan fish.[2] The lakes are open to boating, water skiing, canoeing and sailing. Rock Point Marina provides a public boat launch, fuel dock, and sells boating supplies.[2]
Heyburn State Park is home to a variety of habitats. Ponderosa pines, some over 400 years old, are on the mountain sides overlooking grassy hills that are covered with wildflowers. Other trees in the park included cedar, hemlock and white pine. The margins of the lake are marshy homes to wilflowers and plants.[2]
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