Photo By Royalbroil - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, 
Local Photographer Penny Brooks

Eureka likes to be known as a small town with a big heart. Until 1904, it was a treacherous trip up the Kootenai River to get to this area. In 1904, the Great Northern Railroad rebuilt part of the railroad through the Tobacco Valley making it more accessible and easier to get products in and out of the area. The timber industry flourished until about the 1930s when the Eureka Lumber Company closed down and the economy became almost dormant. Following the war, the lumber industry picked up again. With new machines, loggers were able to reach timber that had previously been inaccessible. Additionally, because of the industry being virtually dormant for a couple of decades, the regrowth of trees resulted in an abundance of trees, especially Douglas Firs. Through the 1950s and 1960s Christmas trees left the valley by the train load, so many that Eureka became known as the Christmas tree capitol of the world.

Today the lumber industry is virtually gone and Eureka is dependent upon tourism because of its nature and unspoiled beauty.