Amenities

• Swimming area with public docks.

• Additional campsites can be located above the bay, though it’s recommended to reserve them in advance.

• Hiking trails on land; one can hike around the bay or around the small peninsula.

• This bay typically has porta-potties near the docks, but state-managed pit-toilets can be accessed in the campgrounds above the bay.

History

The first true settlement at the south end of Lake Pend Oreille was Pen d’Oreille City, which appeared in 1864-1865 at the southernmost tip of the lake, at what is now known as Buttonhook Bay. It was the second white settlement in all of northern Idaho — the first being Seneacquoteenon the Pend Oreille River. Pen d’Oreille City was founded by Zenas Moody, and at its height consisted of five houses, a hotel, a bar and pool hall, and a grocery store. It was an overnight stop for miners and freight merchants using the Lake Pend Oreille route to the gold mines in Montana and British Columbia. 

During the boom of the gold rush, the Oregon Steam Navigation Company built the first steamboat at Seneacquoteen. The Mary Moody was launched in April 1866. The boat soon switched its home port to Pen d’Oreille City, where it was used for portage.