WI: Washington includes the Idaho Panhandle

One of the great quirks of US state geography is the Idaho Panhandle. Jutting out north to the Canadian border, the Panhandle, at present, is home to over 300,000 people. It is economically and geographically isolated from the rest of Idaho, and is much more integrated with Eastern Washington.

You can read a fascinating summary of the reason why the Panhandle became part of Idaho here:

https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/new...cle_4dba01fc-f9fe-11e6-a8b8-6faa0668f7a2.html

Basically it was a quirk of history, and the result of the power struggle between a couple influential individuals in 1863. It's entirely within the real of possibility that the Panhandle, as well as a chunk of OTL Montana going up to the Continental Divide, could have wound up in the state of Washington.

What would be the historical impact of the Panhandle being part of Washington state from the start?

I'll post some of my thoughts on this later, but for now I'm interested in hearing what posters here think.
 
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