Farragut State Park

Farragut State Park is a state park of Idaho, USA, on the southern tip of the Lake Pend Oreille in the Coeur d'Alene Mountains in Kootenai County.

13550 Idaho 54, Athol, ID 83801
(208) 683-2425
Management: Idaho State Parks and Recreation

Farragut State Park is a state park of Idaho, USA, on the southern tip of the Lake Pend Oreille in the Coeur d'Alene Mountains in Kootenai County. The site formerly held the Farragut Naval Training Station, a major training base of the U.S. Navy during World War II. The base was named after David Farragut, the first admiral in the U.S. Navy and the leading naval officer during the Civil War.

The 4,000-acre (16 km2) park is located 5 miles (8 km) east of Athol in the Idaho Panhandle. It is about 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Coeur d'Alene.

Knowing that President Roosevelt was seeking a location for a secure inland naval training center, Eleanor Roosevelt allegedly noticed the lake on a flight to Seattle. Ground was broken in March 1942, and by September the base had a population of 55,000, making it the largest city in Idaho. Liberty trains to Spokane ran three times daily. At the time Farragut was the second-largest naval training center in the world.

Over 293,000 sailors received basic training at Farragut during its 30 months of existence. The last recruit graduated in March 1945 and the facility was decommissioned in June 1946. It was also used as a prisoner of war camp; nearly 900 Germans worked as gardeners and maintenance men. In 1942, Lt. Commander Henry T. McMaster, supervisor of support services at the station, contracted photographer Ross Hall to produce group and portrait photos of all recruits and companies. Operator of a studio in nearby Sandpoint, Hall employed up to 15 workers in creating a photographic archive of more than 300,000 images.

After its use and closure as the Farragut Naval Training Station, it was the site of the Farragut College and Technical Institute from 1946-49. It did not re-open in late 1949, because of financial difficulties.

The park adjoins the deep-water on Lake Pend Oreille, where the Navy maintains a submarine research center at Bayview, the Acoustic Research Detachment.

In 1950, 3,854 acres (1,560 ha) were transferred to the state of Idaho and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and became Farragut Wildlife Management Area, but 2,566 acres (1,038 ha) were transferred back to the federal government in 1964. This land was then deeded back to the state of Idaho and the Department of Parks and Recreation, becoming Farragut State Park.

Farragut State Park is significant in the history of Scouting in Idaho. The park hosted the 1965 National Girl Scout Senior Roundup, the 1967 World Scout Jamboree, the 1969 National Scout Jamboree, the 1973 National Scout Jamboree, and the 2002 Star Northwest of the Boy Scouts of America.

While traveling to the moon aboard Apollo 11 in July 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong extended a greeting to the scouts attending the national jamboree in Idaho. Armstrong was an Eagle Scout from Ohio. At the Jamboree in 1973, Admiral Walter Zumwalt visited and introduced Bob Hope, who put on an outdoor show for the Scouts.

Once Idaho's largest city and the world’s second largest naval training station, today the 4,000-acre park provides a variety of recreation opportunities. The park is located ten minutes from Silverwood Theme Park. Within the park, resource work continues to restore forests to historically occurring conditions. Over the past 150 years periodic fires have been controlled and no longer thin the forest and recycle nutrients. The park is currently thinning stands and controlling noxious weeds to reestablish the traditional forest makeup, these actions also reduce the risks of catastrophic fires, insect and disease outbreaks on the forests.

Directions
From I-90 at Coeur d’Alene take Exit 12 and travel N. on Hwy 95 approximately 18 miles to Athol, at Athol travel E. on Hwy 54 approximately 4 miles.
Seasons
Summer, Fall, Spring
Hours
Visitor Center open daily. Museum is open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.
Fees
$5 per vehicle/day for day use. Annual pass option is available. Overnight parking at the boat launch, 10.30/night. Separate camping fees.
Facilities
Boating Facilities, Campsites, Dump Station, Gift Shop, Horse Facilities, Motor Coach Parking, Restrooms, Visitor Center
(*all information is based on combined accumulated research, for verified information, please contact Farragut State Park*)