This idyllic scene was Keyser’s Slough, about two miles east of Priest River, before the first sawmill was built there. Louisiana-Pacific Corp. operated the last mill there until recent years, but the site is now being developed as a wetlands trust by a private party. In the old days, the slough was a popular spot for picnicking, ice skating and fishing. Only the fishing remains.
This was Albeni Falls, and the railroad bridge spanning the Pend Oreille River, before the dam was constructed in the early ‘50s.
Albeni Falls froze over occasionally, as this 1929 photo that was printed as a post card shows. The railroad bridge is also visible.