Blanchard, ID

Blanchard is a Bonner County CDP about six and a half miles northwest of Spirit Lake, with a post office on Railroad Avenue and a name that arrived with the railroad. The settlement was first called White; the post office changed to Blanchard in 1908, honoring pioneer Joe Blanchard, the same year rail service came through Spirit Valley. A general merchandise store and post office grew around that station, and Blanchard Trading Company opened in 1912. The station and store gave the valley a dependable meeting point.

Blanchard’s local story is especially easy to follow through mail. Early carriers hauled letters from Rathdrum through Spirit Valley to Newport, widening an old trail; old Blanchard mailboxes are now displayed at Old Town Hardware. BASIC helped secure a community center built on donated land, and the building is run by volunteers for meetings and events. The local read is a post-office town with railroad bones, a Spirit Lake neighbor, and a community center that grew from local organizing.