North Idaho artist donates painting to Shoshone County Courthouse

Former Shoshone County resident and artist, Janet Launhardt, presented the Shoshone Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) with a custom painting that will be permanently displayed inside the County Courthouse. The painting, shown at a ceremony in the courthouse on June 6, is a fantastic rendering of the old Shoshone County Hospital in Silverton set in the years following the 1910 fire.

At the ceremony, Launhardt gave a quick oration explaining her process for selecting her subject and then a history of the building.

“I am happy to have the painting come home,” Launhardt said, “it needs a permanent home. When I decided three years ago that this would be my next project, I spent a day up at the hospital to take pictures so that I could get the coloring right, but then I went to the Library so that I could research the history.”

A book entitled, “The History of the Coeur d’Alene Mining DIstrict,” contained a chapter completely dedicated to hospitals and gave Launhardt a basis for understanding why this hospital was so important to the Silver Valley.

The building was constructed in 1916 and was one of four hospitals in the Wallace area at the time.

The three other hospitals, The Hope, which was located on the upper floor in the Morrow building (currently the Brooks Hotel), the Frances Holland Memorial Hospital, located on the west end of Cedar Street was torn down in 1964, and the well known Providence Hospital.

What makes Shoshone County Hospital interesting, among these other hospitals, is that it was constructed so that people could have access to free hospital care.

Launhardt read a passage from the book that said, “The Providence Hospital was operated by the Sisters of Providence and was built in 1891 by deductions from the Central Miners Union members and was often referred to as ‘the miner’s hospital’ by the locals. The Providence, while having been built by miners’ money, did not give free services to those same miners who could not pay for care.”

The county leaders were very aware of the fact that it was the miners who ensured the survival of the mining district and decided to build a facility that would provide free healthcare to the people of Shoshone County.

“The Shoshone County Hospital operated as a nursing home and hospital and because of its free service it was often referred to as the county poor farm,” Launhardt said.

Following its use as a hospital, the building became a hub for the Coeur d’Alene River Ranger District office of the United States Forest Service until its closure in the mid 2000’s.

BOCC chairman Mike Fitzgerald was excited for the courthouse to receive the painting and organized the small ceremony.

“Every once in awhile, we get to take time out of our busy days to recognize something nice that someone has done for us,” Fitzgerald said to the crowd of county employees who had gathered in the courthouse rotunda. “When Janet offered the painting up to us, we gladly accepted her offer and are excited to have this piece of history to display inside our building.”

To see the painting in person, simply swing by the County Courthouse in Wallace.