Upriver Community United, Inc. is a non-profit 501c(3) organization incorporating three small communities (Fernwood, Santa, and Emida) in rural Idaho. Located 25 miles southeast of St. Maries, Idaho and approximately 70 miles radius from the larger towns of Moscow to the south and Coeur d'Alene to the north, the organization is an outgrowth of the University of Idaho's Horizons Program aimed at reducing poverty in the region. Our vision is to bring resources and education to this area that has seen a depressed economy since the large lumber mills that existed in the vicinity folded up and left more than 75 years ago.

Already the Upriver Community United Board has worked to stimulate renewed confidence and pride in the communities it serves. It has a committee that developed a Historical Society that has generated a great deal of interest and spurred numerous contributions of historical photographs, artifacts, and pioneer stories. A Community Pride committee has organized a cleanup day that picked up trash on 13 miles of highway shared by the three communities. Our Pioneer Days Committee is working on a community festival to reinstate the annual celebration that disappeared almost 10 years ago. The Building Committee has overseen the upgrade of the Community Ambulance and Fire (CAF) building in order to make it more useful for community functions in the absence of a separate community center. The Communications Committee has created a newsletter with a circulation that includes all three communities as well as a website and blog to share the developments as they happen and inform the constituency of upcoming meetings.

Local Economy

Some very small mills lingered after the larger ones closed, and logging in the area continues to support families. However, even these have seen a large downturn. What were once thriving towns including a hospital, several schools, churches, stores, gas stations, restaurants, and hotels have diminished to one elementary school serving the three towns, one general store, two churches, three cafes, three taverns, two post offices and volunteer fire and ambulance crews.

The communities are made up of strong people who choose to find creative ways to survive in this economy. The area is home to artists, artisans, self-employed laborers, and retired people. Talent and creativity abound but the area is limited in resources and customer base due to its small population of approximately 1,500 people. Hunters swell the ranks in the fall, increasing the customer base, but reaching out to the greater number of people who populate the World Wide Web can make a huge difference to the economic base of our communities.