From the Crane Historical Society:

The town of Harrison was founded in 1891, incorporated into the village of Harrison in 1899 and named for the then current U.S. President, Benjamin Harrison. The site was on land settled by S.W. Crane and his sons William, Edwin and Addison Crane. Harrison was a busy thriving little town. At one time it was considered for the County Seat. The population fluctuated between 1,000 and 2,000 people depending on the number of mills running at the time.

Between 1880 and 1920 there was more steamboat trade on the Coeur d’Alene Lake than on any other west of the Great Lakes. The big paddle-wheel boats took supplies, workers and sightseers up the St. Joe and Coeur d’Alene Rivers. Most of the boats only drew around three feet of water, so they could navigate the twisting channels of the rivers. Harrison was an important stopping point for them.

The railroads, completed in 1890, made the steamboat business unprofitable. Many of the beautiful big boats were set on fire and sunk in the lake.