After the Civil War, W.T. Sherman came to the Idaho Territory on an inspection tour in 1877 and camped by Coeur d’Alene Lake. He was so impressed by the scenery of the area that he recommended it as a site for a fort. Sherman’s recommendation received attention the following year, and on April 16, 1878, a military post known as Camp Coeur d’Alene was established. The name was changed to Fort Coeur d’Alene on April 5, 1879, and finally to Fort Sherman, April 6, 1887.
The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1863 until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as Idaho.
The departure of the command on April 21, 1898, for participation in the Spanish- American War signaled the demise of Fort Sherman. A small detachment remained; but in April 1901, when the reservation was turned over to the Interior Department, they relocated at Fort George Wright, Washington.
The Sherman Chapel still exists close to downtown Coeur d'Alene and is one of the oldest buildings in town. Built in 1880 by the U.S. Army (two years after the post opened), the Fort Sherman Chapel is Coeur d’Alene’s oldest church, school, library and meeting hall. Fort Sherman was abandoned in 1900 and the buildings and property sold at public auction in 1905. Developers bought what is today known as the Sherman Park Addition, which included the Chapel. Over the years many denominations used the Chapel for church services. Concerted effort began in 1934 to preserve the Chapel. In 1942 The Athletic Round Table held the Chapel in trust and began repairs of the structure. To ensure the preservation of Coeur d’Alene’s oldest standing building, the A.R.T. donated the Chapel to the Museum of North Idaho in 1984.
