Sibling Assignment # 66: Water: Cold and Clean

Silver Valley Girl gave the sibling assignment this week. You will find her's here and RP's here soon. Write about a Silver Valley memory where the central focus deals with one of the four Greek classical elements: fire, earth, air or water.

I grew up surrounded by water. Some was clean, some was polluted. The south fork of the Coeur d'Alene River ran through Kellogg and during my growing up years was called Lead Creek. Wallace even had a town celebration around the Lead Creek Derby. The grayish brown river was filled with pollution from the mines up and down the Silver Valley. Sometimes it had a bad smell. The clean water was close by. I have always been attracted to creeks, rivers, and waterfalls. I could walk to a clean creek that ran through the high school called Jacob's Creek. There was Elk Creek, Big Creek, and Pine Creek all close by that ran cold, clear water. We used to love to see fresh water cascading out of springs as we drove through Fourth of July Pass. Heading toward Enaville was the north fork of the Coeur d' Alene River. As it flowed toward the south fork its water came from mountain streams and spring runoff. It too was always cold and clean. I was always curious about being close to the place where the two forks merged. Later down the river it didn't look as polluted. The color changed, the smell left. When did it clear up?
It flowed along the chain lakes on its way to Coeur d' Alene Lake. I guess because I was so close to other sources of cold, clean water the river through Kellogg was just the way it was. Now that it has been cleaned up I don't think about walking the shores or floating down the river through town. I guess I still think of it as Lead Creek, plus there is cold and clean water so very close.

Water was a contradiction growing up. We were so close to pollution, yet so close to beautiful creeks, waterfalls, and rivers. We also had great tasting water in our town. Grandma said Mom's coffee was always the best because of the water in Kellogg.

I think cold and clean water is something we took for granted in north Idaho. I now see how scarce water can become and appreciate our water sources here in northeastern Washington and back in Idaho.