Albeni Falls

Albeni Falls Dam Site, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Photo.

The beauty of Albeni Falls attracted tourists from around the Inland Northwest. During the early 1900s, a steamboat carried sightseers upriver from Newport, Washinton, to the base of the falls, and some stayed there overnight in a small hotel. The falls were named for long time resident Albeni Poirer.

A solid rock ledge, topped with two small islands, blocked the river here, causing water to cascade through three channels. The natural constriction attracted engineers, who saw the possibility of a dam that could hold back a tremendous reservoir of water in Lake Pend Oreille.

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