Exploring the possibilities

“Don’t regret the past, just learn from it!” — Ben Ipock

January is an exciting time to explore what is possible. Citizens of Hayden love Hayden. It may seem obvious, but seeing this love is one of the best parts of my job. I see our citizens tackle big ideas, solve problems and overcome challenges in ways that make this community better. Unfortunately, I also meet plenty of people whose ideas never get traction. These ideas are amazing but aren’t connected to the right organization or, more often than not, lack funding. Sometimes it is the entrepreneur who just needs start up cash to get the ball rolling, but finding none puts the idea away. Other times a group of concerned citizens has a solution to a community problem, but unsure how best to raise funds, decide it’s just too high a mountain to climb and never get to start on their solution. Others lack the network that would allow growth and support of their enterprise.

We are better when we support each other. Again, an idea we at the Hayden Chamber have long championed, we do support our own. It’s one of the things I love most about this city and the community surrounding it. There is a sense that together we can accomplish great things; we can make Hayden/Kootenai County great.

This belief is the cornerstone to your Hayden Chamber.

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I know many of you may not know the history of Hayden, so I am including the history straight from Wikipedia:

"The origins of the city of Hayden have its roots in the history of Hayden Lake. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe territory centered around Hayden Lake and nearby Lake Coeur d'Alene, gathering plants, including abundant huckleberries, fish and wildlife found there. The first man to visit what is now Hayden Lake was Father DeSmet while serving as a missionary to the Coeur d’Alene Indians. While visiting, he named it Lake DeNuf and recorded several stories told by the local tribe about the lake and the surrounding area.

In the 1870s, the Lake Hayden area began attracting settlers due to the surrounding fertile soils and rich timber resources. Legend has it that three settlers, Mat Heyden (a soldier from Fort Sherman), John Hager and John Hickey played a game of Seven-Up poker to decide who would name the lake. Mat Heyden won and eventually the spelling became standardized to Hayden. Heyden planted the first orchard in the area and established his farm on the western shore of Lake Hayden.

Development centered on this side of the lake, with its close proximity to Coeur d’Alene. At the turn of the century at least three sawmills were located on the lake. One of the mills became part of the Atlas Tie Company, supplying railroad ties across Idaho. During the early 20th century, steamboats plied the waters of Lake Hayden, serving the mills and communities around the lake.

Part of John Hickey’s land claim along Hayden Lake became Avondale Cottage, a resort built in 1903. In 1906, investors expanded and reinvented the property into Bozanta Tavern. The Swiss Chalet-inspired hotel was designed by Spokane architect KK Cutter and the grounds were designed by John Charles Olmsted, one of the Olmsted Brothers who designed New York’s Central Park. The popularity of the resort was encouraged when the Spokane and Inland Empire Railroad extended a trolley line that connected the area with Coeur d’Alene. This also made the resort easily accessible to the booming city of Spokane, Wash., it attracted thousands of visitors to the area. The resort became so well-known that both Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft visited Bozanta. In 1910, F. Lewis Clark, a Spokane millionaire, built on the shores of Lake Hayden what was at the time considered to be the largest and most expensive house in Idaho.

Around the turn of the century, a schoolhouse began to be constructed on the shores of Lake Hayden but was moved before its completion to make way for the Bozanta Tavern. The school building was moved closer to Government Way and finished there. In 1936, an Art Deco-inspired building was built, and it still stands there today.

James Monaghan established the first general store near Lake Hayden, located approximately a half mile east of Government Way along Honeysuckle Avenue. A post office was also established there for a couple of years before relocating, along with the store, closer to Bozanta Tavern. This area, which had a stop on the electric trolley line, was developed by the Granite Investment Company, of which James Mongahan was president. Development around Monaghan and the surrounding countryside was encouraged by irrigation installed by the Malloy Brothers who established the Interstate Irrigation company. They bought up thousands of acres in the area and installed irrigation pipes from Hayden Lake.

As the logging and mining industry grew, and encouraged by irrigation from Hayden Lake, farms and businesses developed around on the west end of the lake to serve the workers. In 1906, DC Corbin took advantage of the high tariff on sugar, bought land north of the Hayden area, and hired workers to farm sugar beets. Many settlers moved into the area to prove up homesteads under the Homestead Act and the Timber and Stone Act and worked in the logging and resort industries to help make ends meet. The area also saw poultry and dairy farms established, and by the 1920s, cherry and apple orchards were prolific. The first fruit packing plant in the area was established in 1914 and the Seiter Cannery in Post Falls was located nearby. After cold winters in the 1930s ruined many of the trees, many orchards were not replanted.

Government Way, the main road connecting the area with Coeur d’Alene, bypassed the shores of Lake Hayden by a mile and a half. With the advent of the automobile, the center of the town shifted from the lake and railroad and reoriented toward Government Way. A collection of businesses slowly developed at the intersection of Honeysuckle Avenue which connected the lake community with Government Way. By the 1950s, Government Way was designated as Highway 95 and the community of businesses servicing travelers and locals was called Hayden Village. Meanwhile, the community located on the shores of Lake Hayden became Hayden Lake. In 1972, Highway 95 was moved slightly West to reduce traffic on the main road through Hayden.

The population numbered 718 people in 1950. In 1955, the owners of Sargent’s Restaurant in Hayden Village wanted to procure a liquor license. They were stalled by Idaho’s alcohol laws. Hayden Village next sought to be annexed into Haden Lake. When that failed, the 'movers and shakers' of the area had a meeting and decided the area should incorporate. The Village of Hayden was incorporated in 1955 with a total of 440 acres with a population of around 700 people. Sargent’s Restaurant was able to move forward in procuring its first liquor license and the city of Hayden in Kootenai County was established.

Today, this growing community still offers a quality of life that allows its citizens to enjoy some of the best outdoor recreation in Idaho coupled with all the amenities of a larger city. Residents and visitors alike can stroll along the sandy shores of Honeysuckle Beach, a city-owned and operated park, or enjoy an afternoon of shopping in the city's downtown business district where Hayden's locally owned shops and stores give you a sense of the 'old Hayden Village.' The result is nothing less than the best of both worlds."

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December was a busy month with our first Outdoor European Christmas Market. It was a huge success with more than 55 vendors, fabulous food, twinkling lights, fire pits and a little snow, we welcomed close to 1,300 people. Thank you again to everyone who made this event possible.

December also gave the Hayden Chamber a chance to ring the bell for the Salvation Army Red Kettle Day!

On Thursday, Jan. 27, the Hayden Chamber will be hosting our annual meeting at the Best Western Plus Coeur d'Alene Inn at 7 a.m. We will be welcoming our new incoming Chair, Anita Parisot, associate manager — field marketing TDS Fiber Marketing Program, who will share her vision for 2022. We will also be announcing our incoming Board of Directors for 2022!

Our annual Sip, Sample & Savor event is fast approaching on Wednesday, Feb. 9 from 5-8 p.m. Tickets are on sale through the Chamber website at www.haydenchamber.org.

After just getting back from spending Christmas in New York City with my husband and visiting my son, I reflect on the differences of both areas of the country. The hustle and bustle of the Big Apple make you appreciate the quiet, laid-back approach here in Idaho. Even though, at times, it may seem that we are starting to have more hustle and bustle, with traffic getting crazier, longer wait lines in grocery stores and higher prices on everything. If you have never been, it’s the experience of a lifetime. I was even able to get a smile and a “I’m actually enjoying this trip,” out of my husband. I also completed an item off my bucket list by going to the Observatory Deck of the One World Trade Center. I had been to the top of one of the Twin Towers back in 1978, so it was only fitting to go to the top of this magnificent building. It is nice to be home and embrace what this new year will have to offer!

“It’s your outlook on life that counts. If you take yourself lightly and don’t take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humor in our everyday lives. And sometimes it can be a lifesaver!” — Betty White

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Andrea Fulks is the president/CEO for the Hayden Chamber of Commerce.