A gold rush to Montana brought steamboat service to Lake Pen d'Oreille in 1866, with its dock at Pen d'Oreille City 5 miles east of here on Buttonhook Bay. Traffic to British Columbia's Wild Horse mines also used this route. The trip provided a comfortable lake excursion for miners and freighters tired of packing over a long, rough trail. At its height, Pen d'Oreille City had grocery stores, a billiard saloon, hotel, and stable.