Mica Peak is the name of two separate mountain summits in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

located approximately apart; one in

Spokane County Spokane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 539,339, making it the fourth-most populous county in Washington. The largest city and county seat is Spokane, the second largest cit ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

and the other in

Kootenai County Kootenai County ( ) is located in the U.S. state of Idaho. In 2020, the United States Census Bureau estimated the county's population at 171,362, making it the third-most populous county in Idaho and by far the largest in North Idaho, the count ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

. The two peaks are located along the same ridge, which separates the

Spokane Valley The Spokane Valley is a valley of the Spokane River through the southern Selkirk Mountains in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The valley is home to the cities of Spokane and its suburbs Spokane Valley, Washington, Spokane Valley ...

and

Rathdrum Prairie The Rathdrum Prairie is a flat in the U.S. state of Idaho. The prairie contains the cities of Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Hayden, Rathdrum, State Line, and Huetter. The prairie also contains part of the Spokane Valley–Rathdrum Prairie Aquife ...

from the

Palouse The Palouse ( ) is a distinct geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of north central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and, by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primaril ...

. The mountains have an elevation difference of only and are the southernmost peaks of the

Selkirk Mountains The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia which are part of a larger grouping of mountains, the Columbia Mountains. They begin at Mica Pe ...

. Other summits located along the same ridge include the Round Mountain, the Cable Peak, the Shasta Butte, and the Blossom Mountain. During the

Prohibition Era Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacturing, manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption ...

Mica Peak was the site of numerous bootlegging operations. The mountainous and thickly forested terrain provided cover that allowed the bootleggers to hide their stills. Most were small, individual operations but some larger commercial endeavors existed as well. The mountain's location on the state line, which inconsistently demarcated in the area, made the location even more ideal for the illegal ventures as Idaho and Washington authorities could be easily tricked into believing the stills were located just outside of their jurisdiction.

Mica Peak (Idaho)

Mica Peak or Signal Point—located in

—is the higher of the two peaks with an elevation of . State Line is the closest city at away. The name Signal Point is derived from a ski lodge of the same name that operated on the northeast face of the mountain in the The ski lodge utilized a

rope tow A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...

and the lodge building () can be seen as a dot on topographic maps from the time period but is no longer standing.

Mica Peak (Washington)

Mica Peak (Washington)—located in

—is the lower of the two peaks with an elevation of . The mountain is the southernmost peak in the

Selkirk range The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia which are part of a larger grouping of mountains, the Columbia Mountains. They begin at Mica Pe ...

. The peak is home to the now-decommissioned

Mica Peak Air Force Station Mica Peak Air Force Station (ADC ID: SM-151, NORAD ID: Z-141) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located atop Mica Peak, east-northeast of Mica, Washington. It was closed in 1975 by the Air Force, a ...

. The northern slopes are drained by

Saltese Creek Saltese Creek is an approximately long stream in Spokane County, Washington, United States. Originally only , the lower of the stream, along with around of drainage canals were dug to drain Saltese Lake. The stream now functions as one of two p ...

. The mountain dominates the view to the east and southeast from the city of

Cable Peak

Cable Peak is a summit located in

. The summit is located along the same ridge as the Mica Peaks, and the northern slope of the mountain is the source of

Cable Creek Cable Creek is a stream of approximately which rises in the U.S. state of Idaho and has its mouth across the state line in Washington. Geography Cable Creek flows roughly north to south from Cable Peak on the Mica Peak ridge at approximately 4,60 ...

References

External links

Montana Memory Project
– Signal Point ski tow and lodge (photo) Mountains of Spokane County, Washington Mountains of Kootenai County, Idaho Mountains of Idaho {{KootenaiCountyID-geo-stub

Mica Peak (Idaho)

Mica Peak (Washington)

Cable Peak

See also

References

External links