Thompson's journal tells tale of Kullyspel House

(It has been nine years since I had the opportunity to work with Erik Daarstad filming the Sandpoint Centennial movie. The day we met Bob Betts and Mark Wendle to go to the site of David Thompson’s “Kullyspel House” is still vivid in my mind. As I stood at this historic spot, I wondered what all occurred, just beneath my feet. I turned to the man who had the answer, David Thompson and his journal. Notice the colorful way he expressed himself as he tells how the buildings that housed the first business in Idaho were built.)

The journals of David Thompson mentioned the building of a trading house on what is now the Hope Peninsula. The location of the old house was not known until 1923 when a Kalispel Indian, called Old Alec, led the way to the ruins of Thompson’s house on the lake. Thompson, one of North America’s most famous explorers, came to the shores of Lake Pend Oreille and built what he called “Kullyspel House.” It was the first structure, built by a white man, in what is now the state of Idaho. The purpose for building the house was to have a place for trading with the local Indians; therefore, the house became the first business venture in Idaho.

Thompson documented the building of Kullyspel House and through his words one can get an idea how the two structures looked (see photo from the Dr. Neil Wendle collection) that were located on the Hope Peninsula. Thompson wrote, “The next day (Sept. 10, 1809) with two Indians (I) went to look for a place to build a ouse for trading; we found a place, but the soil was light, and had no blue clay which is so very necessary for plaistering between the Logs of the House and especially the roofing; as at this time of year, the bark of the Pine Tree cannot be raised to cover the Roof, for want of which, we had an unco(mfo)rtable House. We removed to the place and set up our Tents and a Lodge.”

“On the 11th we made a scaffold to secure the provisions and goods, helved our Tools Ready to commence building; our first care was a strong Log building for the Goods and Furrs, and fir trading with the Natives…. On the 23rd we had finished the Store House. To make the roof as tight as possible, which was covered with small Logs, we cut long grass and work (ed) it up with mud, and filled up the intervals of the small logs which answered tolerable well for Rain, but the Snow in melting found many a passage; in this manner we also builded our dwelling House; and roofed it, the floors were of split Logs, with the round side downwords, notched so as to lie firm on the Sleepers, and made smooth with the Adze; our Chimneys were made of stone and mud rudely worked for about six feet in height and eighteen inches thick, the rest of layers of grass and mud worked around strong poles inserted in the stone work, with cross pieces, and thus carried up to about four feet above the roof; the fire place is raised a little, and three to four feet in width by about fifteen inches in depth. The wood is cut about three feet in length, and placed on the end, and as it costs nothing but the labor of cutting we are not sparing of it:”

David Thompson did not spend too many days at the new trading post before moving on to other adventures. He left Finan McDonald in charge and in about two years Kullyspel House ceased to be used as a fur-trading establishment. Today, what remains of the old trading house is on private property and all that can be seen are the chimney stones.