One hundred years ago Roberta’ Doupe’s great aunt Florice of Chicago was among 105,000 people to apply for a homestead on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation in North Idaho. In 1909 the federal government “threw the reservation open” for settlement and 
it's bounties were advertised widely. The land was disbursed through a lottery drawing that attracted an enormous throng to Coeur d'Alene, and they pressed close to a makeshift platform in front of the Hotel Idaho where 105,000 names in yellow envelopes were scattered on the floor.
It took several days for each of the 1,350 winner's names to be opened, read aloud and broadcast via telegraph around the nation. That’s how Roberta, the great niece of the Irish immigrant, Florice, eventually came to be born and raised near the tiny reservation town of DeSmet, Idaho, where Jesuit priests had established a mission to the Indians.
Today, Roberta is the indefatigable owner of three businesses on the reservation and she is always on the lookout for new projects. This year she is launching the Golden Era Antique and Art Show to commemorate local history and culture and draw attention to the area’s undiscovered charms. The outdoor show takes place the third Friday and Saturday of July on the grounds of Golden Era Antiques nestled in the trees of her husband’s family homestead, which fronts Idaho’s Hwy. 95, the state’s primary north/south thoroughfare, which cuts through the west side of the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation here, thirty miles from the Spokane/Coeur d’Alene metro area.
“It’s the perfect outdoor venue to showcase the treasures of local collectors and the works of many talented artists and artisans.” Doupe’ says. The show will offer an eclectic mix representative of the diverse cultures that converge on the reservation. Along with Northwest antiques, vintage items and crafts, the works of collectible Native artists Neil Parsons (Blackfeet) and George Flett (Spokan) will be featured. Local authors will be on hand for book signings and the Rose Creek Singers, a Coeur d’Alene tribal drum group will perform on Friday. Saturday’s musical entertainment includes country/folk music by Moore Country and popular Inland Northwest blues artist Cary Fly.
The event takes place in the heart of an area steeped in history, which will be commemorated with an exhibit of local historical photos titled, "Honoring Our Ancestors." For a down-home experience, horse drawn wagon rides will be offered to the show from the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes in Plummer, where north Idaho’s popular 72-mile, non-motorized recreational path begins. Doupe’ hopes the event will draw attention to the area's historical features such as Heyburn, Idaho’s oldest state park seven miles east, where visitors may hike along a portion of the Mullan Military Road that was sawed and hacked through the old growth in the mid 1800s. On the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, which runs through Heyburn, 
visitors can read interpretive historical snapshots significant to the CdA Tribe. A bit further along the road in St. Maries people can view numerous historic murals and interpretive sites that commemorate the region's rich logging heritage, and a broader sweep takes in places like the Marble Creek Interpretive Area and Clarkia Fossil Bowl.
The Golden Era Antique & Art Show will debut with an Early Bird event Friday, July 17 from 3 to 8 p.m. and continue Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m with booths, food and music both days. Golden Era Antiques is located 10 miles south of the Coeur d’Alene Casino on Hwy 95, Plummer, ID. For a list of lodgings and other events in the area see
