Coeur D’Alenes Study Ferries To Harrison Some Think Auto Shuttle Would Be Gateway To Gambling On The Lake

A ferry running between the west shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene and Harrison could result from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe managing the southern end of the lake.

Automobile ferry service was on the agenda for the tribe’s public meeting Thursday in Worley on lake management. It was the first public meeting since a federal court ruling returned ownership of the southern third of the lake and the lower 20 miles of the St. Joe River to the tribe in late July.

But talk of a ferry shuttling cars across the water doesn’t mean the tribe has a boat ready to launch.

“This is not necessarily our idea,” said Bob Bostwick, press secretary for the tribe. “Some people have wanted it for a long time and have said to the tribe, ‘Why don’t you do it?”’

“It’s just an idea and we’re here to listen.”

When boats and the tribe are mentioned in the same breath, some residents assume that riverboat gambling or a casino at Harrison are in the works.

Not necessarily, Bostwick says.

“We are talking about a ferry for transportation to bring Harrison closer to the west side of the lake,” he said.

The town hasn’t had ferry service since “back before Harrison burned down the last time in the early 1900s,” Mayor Dave LePard said. Townspeople have been pushing to revive passenger service between Coeur d’Alene and Harrison in part to avoid the arduous drive.

“One of the things that keeps Harrison small, and will keep Harrison small, is a lack of access,” LePard said. Automobile ferry service “would be great, LePard added. A fair number of people who drive to Spokane often might take advantage of it to cut time off of their trip.

“If there was ferry service where people could go directly across the lake, hit a paved road, and go into Coeur d’Alene, I could see people commuting,” LePard said.

It takes at least 45 minutes to drive the more than 30 serpentine miles of Idaho Highway 97 to Coeur d’Alene from Harrison. It’s less than five miles from Harrison to the west shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Sharon Yablon, president of the Harrison City Council, agrees ferry service would make the town more accessible.

“That in itself is a controversy, Yablon warned. “Some would think it would help the economy, some would think it would change the character of the town.”

The tribe has expressed some interest in acquiring the Gateway Resort in Harrison, which closed last year. Harrison residents say there’s also talk of ferry service in conjunction with tribe acquiring the the Gateway and opening a casino there.

Wally Hubbard, head of tribal planning and development, says the Gateway is one possible place to dock ferry service. But the tribe isn’t actively pursing the Gateway and even the notion of ferry service is in its infancy. Acquiring the Gateway, he said, is a separate issue.

“We are looking to have a presence on the lake, Hubbard said. “The lake’s got the Coeur d’ Alene Tribe’s name on it and we would like to have a piece of land on the lake.”

Buddy Paul, president of the Lake Coeur d’Alene Property Owners Association, says he loves the idea of a ferry, simply because he likes boats and being on the lake. But a ferry that’s not somehow tied to a casino seems impossible, he said.

“I can’t imagine how it would generate enough business otherwise, Paul said.

Ken Olsen can be reached at (208) 765-7130 or by e-mail at keno@spokesman.com.