Diamond Lake

Diamond Lake has long provided a sanctuary for recreationalists drawn to its spring-fed waters and “diamond-like” appearance. By the early 1900s, it had become a thriving summer community, with a number of residences lining its shores. The Charles Trask family built their home and a small sawmill on the east end of the lake. Trask made his living through a number of ventures, including operating a steamboat that plied Diamond Lake’s waters and managing a fish hatchery there to produce minnows for the use of local anglers.

Until about 1915, the small sawmills operating around Diamond Lake used it as a mill pond. As small resorts and summer homes sprang up along the lakeshore, its recreational value surpassed its industrial value. Residents cleared the lake of sunken logs and debris left over from the milling days and, before long, Diamond Lake’s transition into a resort area was complete.

In 1931, the Spokane Daily Chronicle reported that Diamond Lake was “becoming one of the most popular lakes of the Inland Empire.” The newspaper attributed the attraction to the ease of access by way of the new Spokane-Newport highway and the Camp Cowles Boy Scout camp, which was built on the old Trask property. That year, Mountain States Power extended electricity to the lake, ensuring that “summer home owners and campers may enjoy all the conveniences of electricity for light, power and refrigeration.” The article concluded with a description of the area that remains as familiar today as when it was written: “during the summer season hundreds of Inland Empire residents find relaxation and rest around its timbered shores and in its crystal clear water.”