Tenacity paying off

The miners whose photographs appear in Ray Chapman’s “History of Idaho’s Silver Valley” do not smile easily for the camera. Their work clothes are gritty, their faces dusty and weary. The mines themselves don’t look any prettier.

Contrast these historical photos with the photo illustrations announcing Silver Rapids, an indoor water park at Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg. In one, a sunglasses-wearing moose rides a wave board. In another, a teen girl surfs an indoor wave.

On May 30, the resort’s 42,000-square-foot indoor water park will open to the public. It’s the latest grand gesture announcing that Silver Valley is in transition from a Superfund site to a “super fun” site, as its developers like to say.

Mining was the life source for the Silver Valley from the late 1800s to the early 1980s. Now, the region is banking on tourism – skiers and snowboarders in the winter, hikers, bikers, golfers and water-park visitors in the snow-free months.

Mining and tourism. At first glance, they appear to be opposite endeavors. Mining depended on back-breaking work. Tourism depends on budget-breaking fun. But both endeavors are risky. The value of gold, silver, lead, copper and zinc fluctuated with the market. During the Great Depression, seven out of eight of the Valley’s mines lost money, Chapman writes in his Silver Valley history.

The Silver Valley’s tourism trade is also vulnerable to the marketplace – and to Mother Nature. It’s been a heavenly snow season, but no one can accurately forecast next winter’s snowfall. The water park project broke ground during the peak of vacation condo fever. It will open in a recession-jittery time when families are rethinking travel plans.

Hidden in the water park hoopla is the story of the people who remained in the Silver Valley after the mining economy disintegrated.

“The people who choose to stay in a community in a difficult downturn and hang on during hard times become a huge resource,” says Jonathan Coe, president of the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce and an admirer of the can-do spirit he sees in the Silver Valley. “Without them, the community can’t keep going. You have to have people who have been there for a while to stay with it. If you don’t, you won’t get it done.”

Those who stayed behind, in Kellogg, Wallace and the other Silver Valley mining communities, fought for their towns. They dreamed huge dreams – a world-class ski resort, a nationally known bike trail, a European-style gondola – and then worked with government agencies and businesses who could make those dreams happen, such as JELD-WEN Communities, developer of the ski resort and water park.

So May 30, when the water park ribbons are cut, people should remember to celebrate, too, the region’s civic life template. Work hard. Play hard. And stay committed to your towns through their darkest times.