I REMEMBER WHEN AT PRIEST LAKE
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| Many summers ago there was a group of kids that were frequent visitors to The Outlet Resort, back in the day that Flo and Dick Barnes were the owners. Our group consisted of families that would travel from Spokane, Calgary, Alberta, Portland, Oregon, and Lind, Washington to spend if not all of their summer at Priest Lake, Idaho, but a good portion of it. During the summers that we ended up having more rain than sunshine we were never at loss for things to do at the lake. What we normally did was head down to the Outlet Resort Store where there was this old pin ball machine to the left of the front door. A group of two or more of us kids would gather around the pin ball machine, watching whoever was playing try to score 27,000 points in order to win another game in which you would hear a loud click as the number would turn over. If I'm not mistaken there was a point and time that whoever could beat the given score, they would receive a soda pop. Some mastered this game, adding games into the double digits, having to leave them until the next morning or for somebody else the following day. All for one quarter. On rainy days we would also hang out in the back section of the restaurant listening to the juke box that played Dolly Pardon's, 'Sleeping Single in a Double Bed' amongst other songs. When we got kicked out of the restaurant (because we weren't buying anything~just occupying space) we would head over to somebody's trailer to play some card games. I do recall all of us hanging out on the fronch porch of the Outlet Store often times, talking and just hanging out. When we were bored we sometimes did things that kids shouldn't, but couldn't resist stirring up a bit of trouble at times. Nothing bad mind you. I do remember that we had smoke bombs because it was near The 4th of July and a few of us were up to no good and put a smoke bomb in the pay telephone coin return on the front of the Outlet Store porch. We also threw a few smoke bombs into the store when it was pretty busy. Of course we all ran like heck and could hear Flo yelling out the front door; "I know who you kids are and I know each and every one of your parents!" I'm quite certain she did. After all there weren't more than twenty or so of us between all of seven families. At one point and time Dick put in a few arcade games, along with a pool table, and a foosball table in the big aluminum boat shed that heads towards the Outlet Campgrounds. We could play in there until he either locked it up, or until the sun went down and there was no other light to illuminate the large storage unit. Sometimes, some of us would climb up into the boats in the storage unit that were stored up at the very top of the racks. That reminds me of one of the most important things we all did up at the lake during our summer evenings! We did roast our fair share of marshmallows for s'mores, building the biggest bon fires we could possibly make! All of us kids would just sit around the fire until our parents would call for us to come in. That was fun and all, but I have to say that we had the most fun between playing 'kick the can' and 'tower tag'. I'm pretty sure you all know what 'kick the can is', but I am pretty sure that there are those of you that don't know what tower tag is. A bunch of us had built a tree fort, that had three different levels out towards Lakeshore Road, almost where Berdadish Rd. is at. We had to wait until it was dark before we could play Tower Tag. There were two people that would stand up in the fort with flashlights while everybody else would run out and hide behind the trees or in the shrubs. The objective was to tag the tower/fort without having the flashlight shined on you. Boy, I remember being so scared that a bear or a skunk was going to meet up with me while I was hiding. Sometimes I would get caught on purpose just so I could be safe up in the tower with the flashlight. Most of our summer days were spent laying out on the docks, working on our tans, slathering on baby oil, so that when we started back to school in the Fall we would be as dark as we could possibly get. There's no mistaking that when you laid out on the dock, that was fair game for a dock fight. There were plenty of those! There were two kinds of docks at the Outlet...the slippery docks and the sliver dock. The sliver dock was one that you didn't want to get caught on during a dock fight because you either gave in and got thrown in the water or you would get drug across the dock and get slivers on your backside. Back then we all didn't have boats so the poor boat owners that had kids that wanted to waterski would become victim to all of us and would end up pulling kids waterskiing for a few hours at least. After a long day of soaking up the sun, waterskiing, having clay fights (there was green clay out in the water that we would cover ourselves with or throw at one another), swimming, and building things in the sand on the beach, we would head up to our trailers to get cleaned up and have dinner. After dinner we would all meet up again while walking around. I remember smelling the grease that was frying the chicken as I walked between Olive Barnes little home and the corner of the Outlet Store. We would walk down to the docks, looking out over the calm, serene water, skipping rocks, or looking for arrowheads on the beach. I think I have about six arrowheads that I found between that beach and just at the mouth of the river. One of the dangers about walking on the docks, while fully clothed, is that you essentially risked the fact that you might get thrown in by the person walking next to you! And if it was your birthday up there...anticipate that you would be escorted down to the docks and thrown into the water for however many years old you were turning. There used to be a time that we would grab the shampoo bottle and a bar of soap, walk down to the dock in our suit, jump into the water getting wet, then grab the shampoo to wash our hair, using the soap to lather up, then dive back into the water to rinse off. (I'm just guessing that this isn't something people do any longer?) Early mornings, before we would head down to the beach, we would go huckleberry picking in big groups. About two or three adults would volunteer to take us up to pick berries. We would bring our gallon cardboard milk cartons and fill them up with huckleberry's, to try to sell them to Hill's Resort for $10-$12. At the end of the summer it was always a bitter sweet farewell. There were usually tears as we pulled away from the lake, heading towards Hwy 57...looking at the lake where the boat ramp is at The Outlet Resort until you can't see the water any longer. It's been quite some time since those days and I haven't been in touch with any of those kids from years ago, but always will remember them and the great times we had. This memory goes out to The Gavel's, The Rodgers, The Boganrief's, The Melvin's, The Walker's, The Johnson's, and The Bach's. -Gina |
 I remember when at Priest Lake.. I would spend weeks in the summers of the mid to late 50's at the Blake's cabin (on Hunts Creek at its outlet) and it was said that the cabin was the 3rd oldest cabin on the lake. The Blakes were my Aunt Shirley's parents. There was no electricity and no refridgeration. They used the creek as the fridge; burlap bags tied to a limb and submerged in the creek held anything that needed refrigeration. I remember waking up between the flannel sheets to the smell of the wood cook stove cooking bacon and huckleberry pancakes. I remember Uncle Carl tapping on my bedroom window and holding up the huge silver he had caught early that morning. I remember Stell Blake running out the back door, grabbing the broom on her way, and chasing a bothersome black bear right up the tree ! Then she'd pry a piece of pitch off the side of the tree and chew it like we would chew gum ! I remember learning to swim there---but stay away from the outlet of the creek--it was so cold ! I remember we would all travel in their old metal boat (looked like the African Queen, but on a smaller scale) across the lake on Saturday nights to the Linger Longer Lodge for a fancy dinner. I remember the painting of the old French trapper that hung over the cabins huge fireplace. That trapper's face scared me so much that I was afraid to look at the bedroom window when they would send me to bed for the night. My wonderful childhood memories of Priest Lake are so very special. But now its at Hills Resort or my good friend Al's that I continue to enjoy my passion --------- Priest, upper Priest, and all of its peace and beauty.Rob McDougall © pecky cox foto |
| "I remember when at Priest Lake "..... Living at the now gone Priest Lake Cafe and being snowed in in the winter and walking the 200 yards to Ward and Millie's and there not being another person there but the 3 of us. Millie in her house coat and Ward with that smelly old cigar. He would invite me to the back where they lived, and we would watch "The Untouchables" TV series in black and white. He had a store full of information as to what really happened "for real" and would explain to me what was right and what wasn't concerning what we were watching. Many is the time as a teenager I would carry brown paper bags full of groceries to struggling families that had found their way from Priest River to Priest Lake in the back of Ward's station wagon. No one was to know where the food came from but they all were aware of who was 'Santa'. I remember when at Priest Lake the dance hall for teenagers that we built on the side of the Priest Lake Cafe. During the summer it was difficult to find space to dance to the 45's that everyone would bring. What a wonderful life altering space and time was my stay at Priest. D. Burns |
"I remember when at Priest Lake ..... " we use to Trick or Treat at Millie’s and Millie and Ward Adams would give us kids our choice of Butterfinger, Payday, or Baby Ruth in a full size candy bar. My costume was a pillow case with eye holes cut in, covering my whole body and I was a ghost. I can't remember when there was not an east shore road! - Craig 
Photo courtesy of Craig Hill
- Bill McPriest Lake "I remember when at Priest Lake ..... " Mona Bishop would sit out front of Bishop’s Marina with her hands on her knees wearing a straw hat with a flowered hat band. The Tyee and the Ridley were moored at Bishop’s Marina then and if you dared, you could climb up on them. I can still hear Mona yelling, “Get off that boat!” Just after you entered the marina, there was a ramp down to the floating dock where the slips were. When you ran down that ramp it would bounce like trampoline, but if you did, you’d hear Mona yell, “No runnin’ on the dock!” She was a great gal and Russ was a great guy. I think of them still whenever I visit Coolin. - Jim "I REMEMBER WHEN AT PRIEST LAKE" WE ALWAYS HAD 4 FEET OF SNOW, THERE WAS ALWAYS HIGH WATER 3 FEET ABOVE SUMMER LEVEL, AND IT ALWAYS RAINED THE ENTIRE MONTHS OF MAY AND JUNE ( IF YOU WERE LUCKY, NOT JULY AND AUGUST)!!
I remember when at Priest Lake, my family had a cabin on Cape Horn Rd. Early in the morning all you could hear was the sound of logging trucks heading down East side road. You could limit out on silvers by 9AM for a fresh breakfast, I learned to swim, drive a boat, fish, pick huckleberries, and chase the chipmunks! The stress of the day was the water pump losing pressure, and the bears in the garbage! Great childhood memories from the 60's and 70's!! Not much has changed here at Priest Lake. The water is still clear, the berries are still tasty, bears are still getting into garbage cans. The sound of children learning to swim, fish and drive a boat can be heard , you just have to slow down and listen! Great friends, and people are here. Most have never left, aka the smart one's! If anyone asks " So why did you buy the Leonard Paul Store" Our answer is "memories" Because I remember when at Priest Lake.... - Pat Akins
| I remember when at Priest Lake…our operating of our Ghostbuster costumes on Halloween caused Herb to have to close and we all went to Hill’s. Our leaf blowers knocked all of the dust off the logs to the point that no one could see across the bar! -Jeff |
| Priest Lake……what a wonderful place to live and live and live……there is no other place like this. The weather is a guessing game, just like life, we enjoy ALL the surroundings of nature, and yes, people too! We enjoy each and every day for what it is and brings, a good life. A wish for the world around us…..enjoy just a little bit each day, makes such a difference. ‘I remember when at Priest Lake we could see moose, deer, bear and other critters wandering through our yard at least once a week.’ - S.M. |
- Don I remember when at Priest Lake the best dances ever were in the soon to be gone Kaniksu boat storage & for an extra treat we would find a “date” to take and watch the beers at the dump by Grandview. Mom knew the sound of the old boat motor as it came up the lake around midnight or so, just as many wonderful stars then as there are now…
| I remember at Priest Lake when in the first summer of fulfillment of my childhood dream to own a cabin on the lake, my brothers and I brought up all our kids and an assortment of their friends for a week at the lake. In the evening at the last night of our stay, enjoying a quiet moment on the dock, my eldest brother looked to the north horizon and said “Is that what I think it is?” Yes, the northern lights, something we both knew about but had never seen. We yelled up to the cabin to all to come down to see. Arrayed on the dock then were three adults and nine teens, city kids all, half of which had never heard of the aurora borealis. White and green curtains danced across the entire northern skies as I explained the phenomenon to them. “Oohhs” and “ahhs” all. A perfect end to a perfect week. Lifetime memories made. I was ten and at the lake again. - Byron Buck |