THE NORTHERN PACIFIC ROUTE. 151 
The village of Clark Fork is situated at the head of the delta which 
Clark Fork has built where it enters Pend Oreille Lake. Below the 
village the track winds about in the broad plain of 
Clark Fork. the river bottom, skirting shallow bays and swamps 
vathonsiky isecrs and winding among rocky islands that rise here and 
St. Paul 1,412 miles, there in the delta plain. The rocks are limestone 
(Newland), dipping up the stream toward the axis 
of the syncline, but about 2 miles from the village the whole of the 
limestone has risen above water level, and the underlying red argil- 
lites and quartzites (Ravalli) are exposed in the cuts. 
West of milepost 97 the traveler may get glimpses here and there 
of Pend Oreille Lake, but it is not until the train approaches Hope 
that an unobstructed view may be obtained. If it 
Hope. is a clear day, the waters ripple in the sunshine 
Elevation 2,087 feet. against a dark background of rugged mountains, 
ie eet) dl cae but if the air is hazy the lake seems to disappear in 
the distance between misty walls that rise on either 
side. One can but wonder what lies beyond that rocky gateway and 
long to board the little steamer lying at the dock and explore its 
remotest reaches. The broad expanse of water along the north 
shore is broken by several wooded, rocky islands that add greatly to 
the charm of the picture. 
The French term pend (pendant) d’oreille means literally earring 
and was doubtless given to this lake by the early French explorers 
on account of its peculiar shape; but some authorities say that the 
name was originally given to a tribe of Indians because of their cus- 
tom of wearing earrings and then was applied to the lake because 
these Indians inhabited its shores. 
The lake is about 50 miles long and from 2 to 15 miles wide, and 
it is said to be very deep. As it is long and narrow and lies between 
mountains 2,000 to 3,000 feet high, it must, if the reported depth of 
water is correct, occupy a canyon rivaling in size and depth the 
Grand Canyon of the Colorado, in Arizona. 
On the shore of the lake, near the place where Hope now stands, 
were once the main trails that led into the Kootenai country to the 
north. Over these trails supplies for the mining camps and goods 
for trade with the Indians were taken in and cargoes of precious furs 
brought out, but the traffic has ceased and the trails have become 
impassable. Hope is built on the side of a mountain so steep that 
its streets occupy levels 300 feet apart. It is important now as the 
site of a large sawmill and as a port for the small traffic on the lake. 
The rocks back of Hope belong to the Prichard formation, which 
extends for about 7 miles, but they are cut by many dikes of granite 
similar to the great mass west of Sandpoint. The rocks also show 
