Pine River was established as a logging and fur trading community. In the 1800’s George Barclay (who operated the first Trading Post in the area) founded the town of Pine River.

White pine trees were in abundance and the forests contained thousands of square miles of the best timer east of the Pacific Northwest. The early explorers memoralized the river (formed by the headwaters of the Missippi River) by calling it “The Pine.”

With the coming of the Northern Pacific Railway the area grew from a village into a town. Of special interest to the settlers was the game of baseball. Each Saturday afternoon the people would gather to cheer on their team. One game played in 1905 with the team from Emily ended with a score of 40 to zip. The Pine River team were the winners.