The Spokane River near its mouth. Courtesy of the Moorehouse Collection, University of Oregon
Couer d’Alene Indians lived in the Spokane River drainage basin, an area of abundant fisheries that included trout, salmon, and whitefish. The Couer d’Alene supplemented hunting and gathering activites by fishing the Saint Joe River where they caught whitefish in the late fall and the Spokane River where they caught salmon in the summer months. They used gaff hooks, spears, nets, and traps and angled for fish. Indians placed fish traps where Lake Couer d’Alene empties into the Spokane River.
The Couer d’Alenes fished and traded with the Spokane Indians. Many fished at Spokane Falls so when the Washington Water Power Company built a dam in 1911 that inundated the site, the Couer d’Alene found their fishery curtailed. Grand Coulee Dam also had a significant effect on Couer d’Alene fishing practices as it did with many groups who lived in the northern portion of the Columbia River Basin.
