Farm, ranch life on the Rathdrum Prairie
Kerri Thoreson
Recently, I realized that changing landscape can be disorienting when landmarks implanted in our brain no longer exist. I’ve lived here since Post Falls was fewer than 5,000 people and the Rathdrum Prairie between Post Falls, Rathdrum and Coeur d’Alene was 100 square miles of blue grass and hay fields. Now, when I travel Prairie Avenue it’s quite different. Not bad, just different. There are still farmers’ fields, a barn or two but certainly not open prairie as far as the eye can see. Roundabouts? We’d never even heard of such a thing a couple of decades ago.
I also recall in the late 1980s, there would be a day when it would take a couple of hours for hundreds of sheep to be herded on Poleline Avenue from winter to summer pastures. It was a big deal and fun to witness.
In the 1990s, the Jacklin family were the largest producers of Kentucky Blue Grass seed in the world. Yes, world! With growth beginning in Post Falls about that time there was an uproar, and eventual legislation banning the practice of burning the grass fields for several days in August. I recall writing back then that we should be careful what we wish for because if farmers can’t economically farm, the land could and likely would be developed.
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