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Posts tagged as “Coeur d’Alene”

First take/travels

After an enjoyable four-day run through the mountains and forests of northern Idaho, it's hard to miss the growth and expansion in the area again. That's notably true around Coeur d'Alene, but visible in many spots other than the more remote. (As usual, the really rural areas aren't keeping up.) Since my last visit to the lake city a couple of years ago there's been a massive new development off Northwest Boulevard, and the downtown area seems notably more prosperous. Moscow seems to be prospering too, and Lewiston at least hanging in there. Of course, all this is part and parcel of the national economic recovery in recent years, but it ought to generate a positive attitude locally. Not that you could tell, yet, by the votes. - rs (photo)

The old North Shore

northshore

The North Shore Motor Hotel, Coeur d'Alene, 1970s/post card

The first place I worked in Idaho (in the fall of 1973) is barely visible toward the top center of this post card: The Cloud 9 restaurant, of which you can sort of make the name in lights. The North Shore Motor Hotel, to which it was attached, was a smaller facility than the current Resort (which was built in the mid-80s), but was for its era a nice place to stay and a solid commercial anchor on the west end of Coeur d'Alene.

If you too have some back history in North Idaho, you'll want to check out the picture site Remember the Roxy, which is loaded with great images from decades past.

Hat tip to Dave Oliveria at Huckleberries, for drawing attention to the site.

Those U.S. products

In Coeur d'Alene, there's a company called U.S. Products, which manufactures commercial carpet cleaning equipment, portable heated carpet extractors, and related equipment. It declares itself "Quality made in the U.S.A.," and "Keeping America clean for over 30 years." Its web page also notes that "Since our products are manufactured in our Coeur d’Alene, Idaho factory we are able to keep tight control over product quality throughout the manufacturing process."

All of which sounds good. Until you get to the business section of the Coeur d'Alene Press, which reports that the company which owns U.S. Products, Nilfisk-Advance, has decided that within a few months it will move U.S. Products' manufacturing operations to Queretaro, Mexico. (Some administrative staff will remain in Coeur d'Alene, which you might think will hamper the logic expressed on the business' home page.)

A question: Will they still call them U.S. Products? And if so, will they try to do it with a straight face?