History of Diamond Lake Explained

By:

Laurie Petroni

Newcomers and visitors to The Diamond Lake area often bring with them many questions. How did Diamond Lake get its name? What kind of fish can be caught in its sparking waters? Did Native Americans ever live in the area? I heard there used to be a sawmill at Diamond Lake, is that true? The answers to these questions and many more can be found in a book written by Tony and Suzanne Schaffer Bamonte entitled The History of Pend Oreille County. Tony and Suzanne have generously allowed the D.L.I.A. newsletter staff to reprint some of their articles. As one of the editors of the newsletter, let me say that we sincerely appreciate their generosity. Following is part one of a three part series of articles written by the Bamontes.

A Diamond in the Forest

Pend Oreille County’s most popular and populated lake is visible to the north from U.S. Highway 2, which runs parallel to the lakeshore. Diamond Lake is approximately eight miles southwest of Newport. It covers about 750 acres and is fed by underground springs. The only outlet is Moon Creek at the southwest end of the lake. When the first settlers arrived, the lake was in the midst of lush forested land. Although the first inhabitant to build homes lived at the lake year around, it has always been a desirable summer-home location for residents of neighboring communities and counties. In earlier times, it was a popular fishing site of the neighboring Native Americans, who caught large cutthroat trout.

There are at least three versions of the origin of the name. Some speculate it was because the lake is roughly a diamond shape, or because of the diamond-like sparkling waters. A third theory claims that an Ace of Diamonds playing card was discovered tacked to a tree near the lake.

Early Settlement

One of the first settlers at Diamond Lake was George Coulthard. In 1888, before the area was surveyed, he began to develop his homestead and raise livestock. Two years later, he brought the first lumber into the area to build his home, Which was a difficult undertaking as there were no roads. In 1891, George married Alice Lewis, a widow with four children. She died in 1897, and a few years later, he married his step-daughter, Jessie Lewis. Because the marriage was frowned upon by some, the Coulthards moved away for a period of time. After their return, they “proved-up” their homestead (met the necessary requirements for ownership) in the area of the present day Camp Cowles. According to the History of North Washington (1904), “[George Coulthard] owns several hundred acres of good land, two hundred of which are excellent meadow.”

In 1891, Rueben and Jane Fowler settled at Diamond Lake with their five children. Their homestead along the southwest shores of the lake included what is now the Diamond Lake Resort. In 1907, their son Ben Fowler married Ruth Lewis, Jesse Lewis Coulthard’s younger sister. Ben and Ruth later bought the old Coulthard homestead, where they spent their early married life. Descendants of these two families have lived at Diamond Lake for over 100 years.

Another early settler, Charles Trask and his family established a homestead which covered the east end of the lake. The old house still remains near the beach club. Trask built a small sawmill on the homestead around 1903 or 1904, which was capable of sawing 15,000 board feet a shift. He also brought a sizable steamboat to the lake in 1906 and gave tours. Many dances were held in his big hay barn until, in later years, he built a large dance pavilion at the site where his sawmill had been. The old hay barn was later used as an ice house.