On September 26,  1805, on their Voyage of Discovery to the Pacific, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and the Corps of Discovery reached the confluence of the North Fork and the Middle Fork of the River called the Kooskooskee in the Nez Perce language.  The adventurers established Canoe Camp and built dug-out canoes to continue their journey,   leaving October 7, 1805.  The remarkable clarity of the Kooskooskee River inspired the present day name: The Clearwater River.  Elk River and Looking Glass Aquifer are 30 miles North of Canoe Camp at 2,826 feet in the Clearwater Mountains in the northern corner of Clearwater County.  Idaho Clear Mountain Spring Water is drawn directly from a bore hole in the Looking Glass Aquifer to the water plant where it is filtered down to one micron, put into bottles and given a touch of ozone.  A sample is tested, the bottles are capped and boxed, 24 to a case, and shipped to a discerning water aficionado.  Our water needs no reverse osmosis, no remanufacturing of any kind....just as it was when Lewis and Clark came by.

E-MAIL: thewaterguy@idahoclear.com

The community of Elk River came into existence in 1909 as housing for employees of the potlatch Timber Company newly built lumber plant.  The sawmill, planing mill, dry kiln, steam driven power plant and yards were the most modern in the North West in their time.  It was also the largest electrically operated drive mill in the world. The town soon became the center of the Milwaukee railroad. This line ran from Saint Maries, Idaho 72 mile to Elk River to transport the lumber the mill produced and to supply the lumber camps with supplies and machinery.  In 1927 Potlatch Company built a newer, larger mill in Lewiston Idaho and Elk River soon began to decline.  In 1936 the company deeded over its property to the village and turned over the water and light system for practically nothing.  The town now survives on small family enterprises and as a haven for outdoor enthusiasts.