Hope tracks existence to railroad's arrival

The first white man to come to the Hope area was the famed explorer David Thompson, mapmaker and fur dealer. He traveled from Canada to the peninsula of Lake Pend Oreille and built Kullyspel House, a trading post, in September 1809. Thompson reported some problems with the roof of his building and said, “The snow in melting found many a passage …” Thompson abandoned Kullyspel House in 1811 and moved his operation to the Spokane House.

Hope got its start in 1882 with the coming of the railroad. Construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad around Lake Pend Oreille brought numerous workers to the area. The town was built on a hill overlooking the beautiful lake and any person living in the area today will readily tell you that it is the most beautiful spot on earth.

Hope had only a few families and some Indians living in the area before the Northern Pacific moved its division point from Heron, Montana, The move resulted in over-night growth and Hope became a center of activity. The town got its name from a Dr. Hope who was a veterinarian with the railroad. The good doctor not only treated animals but he had a good sampling of human patients. It was all together a different meaning when people back then would say, “Let’s go see Hope.”

In the early days, the Northern Pacific Railroad built Highland House in Hope as a luxury hotel. The hotel was three stories high and it was publicized as a place for people from the east to come for recreation and relaxation. The most famous visitor to stay at the hotel was General William Sherman of Civil War fame.

In the early days of Hope, gambling and drinking was the order of the day. At one time, there were seven saloons in a one-block area. One of the popular saloons was located in the old Jeannot Hotel that Joseph Jeannot built overlooking beautiful Lake Pend Oreille. The hotel was built circa 1897 and provided fourteen rooms to travelers. A two-story wooden porch once spanned the front of the building that gave the visitors a breathtaking view of the lake and mountains. Some of the guests that visited the old hotel were Teddy Roosevelt, Gary Cooper, and Bing Crosby. The building was refurbished and was open for a short period in 1998. Today the hotel is a private residence. 

Early Hope had a post office, two hotels, two restaurants, a lumber company, two barbershops, a lath and shingle mill, two meat markets, a blacksmith shop, and a drug store. One of the stores in early Hope was the Twin Woo Company. The owner, Twin Woo, also managed the Chinese who worked on the railroad. The Chinese that were located in Hope came there on contract to help build the Northern Pacific Railroad.

At one time, there were about 300 Chinese workers employed in the Hope area. They were an inexpensive source of labor and railroad representatives would go to China and have the men sign a twenty-five year contract to come over and work for the railroad. After the completion of the railroad, Hope became a retirement community for some of these workers.

The town was platted in 1896, and in those early days, foot, wagon, horseback, train, or boat provided transportation.