The beauty of Albeni Falls attracted tourists from around the Inland Northwest. During the early 1900s, a steamboat carried sightseers upriver from Newport, Washinton, to the base of the falls, and some stayed there overnight in a small hotel. The falls were named for long time resident Albeni Poirer.
A solid rock ledge, topped with two small islands, blocked the river here, causing water to cascade through three channels. The natural constriction attracted engineers, who saw the possibility of a dam that could hold back a tremendous reservoir of water in Lake Pend Oreille.
