A Land Built by Many

For hundreds of years, the land that would eventually become Boundary County has served as Idaho's last frontier. Fur traders, gold seekers, loggers and families in search of a better life forged their way across some of North America's most rugged terrain to the shores of the Kootenai River and the little valley that now holds Bonners Ferry.

Kootenai Valley’s First Inhabitants

But long before explorers passed through this area in the early 1800s, Native tribes had called the shores of the Kootenai River and Lake Pend Oreille their home. The Kootenai Indians who lived in this region were part of a vast nation that occupied lands on both sides of the U.S.- Canada border. They lived peacefully, relying on fishing and hunting to support their people.

In 1808, the Canadian-British cartographer David Thompson trekked through the area from Canada in search of an alternate route to trading posts to the south. His party is largely credited with being the first white explorers to enter the area, although there are some historical records that suggest Spanish explorers may have visited the Kootenai River region as early as the 17th century.

Still, Thompson’s mapping of the Indian trails and routes along the Wild Horse Trail eventually opened up the area to another kind of intrepid explorers: gold seekers. In 1864, gold was sighted along the banks of the Wild Horse Creek in British Columbia, Canada. Seasoned miners and would-be dreamers made their way up the shores of the Pend Oreille, searching for the shortest route to the Fort Steele area. As in other parts of the Northwest, the gold sightings also attracted the interest of trades people, storekeepers, porters and other adventurers who saw an opportunities in Idaho’s undeveloped frontier.

Idaho Ingenuity: The Start of Bonners Ferry

One of those intrepid pioneers was Edwin Bonner, a businessman from Walla Walla who realized that the thousands of gold seekers headed his way would eventually need a ferry to cross the Kootenai River. According to county historical records, Bonner and his partners John Walton, H. Robertson and R.A. Eddy negotiated with Chief Abraham of the Kootenai Tribe to set up a ferry system, and then secured ferry rights through the legislature in Lewiston. The partners set up transport at the base of two hillsides, later to become the nexus for Bonners Ferry’s gradual growth.

“To many people today the thought of crossing a river on a ferry borders the romantic and speaks of a time when things were calm and less hurried,” wrote Sandpoint historian Bob Gunter (1926-2012). But crossing North Idaho waters was a different experience in the late 1800s, when neither bridge nor motorized ferries existed. Both Bonner’s wooden ferry and a similar vessel on Lake Pend Oreille were subject to North Idaho’s unpredictable weather systems. Still, thousands of prospectors are said to have journeyed through the area en route to the gold fields.

In 1875 Bonner and his partners sold the ferry to Richard Fry. Fry had already proved to be an enterprising businessman in the Marcus, Wash. area, where he had established a trading post in competition with the Hudson’s Bay Company. With his sharp business sense and reputation for hard work, Fry and his new wife became the settlement’s first official new residents.

No pioneer town is complete without a stagecoach, and in 1891, Sam Smith saw to that need. The new coach was established on the south side of the river, in what was then called Eatonville. Over the next ten years, Smith alternated his routes to meet the changing demands of his customers. By 1892, his bustling coach service was making three trips per week, shuttling customers as far away as Kootenai Station, outside present Sandpoint.

In 1884, the makings of Bonners Ferry’s first steamer arrived – via river and difficult overland transport. It would eventually become one of many steamboats plying the river north and south of the growing settlement. Still, its accomplishments were short lived. By the late 1890s, a new competitor, the Kootenai Valley Railroad had arrived.

“It was the kind of railroad that really served the valley people for years but it didn’t make a lot of profit,” explained Howard Kent, Boundary County Historical Society historian. “One thing that was funny was that if you were a passenger, you never knew when you would arrive at your destination for the fact that the railroad crew would often stop to hunt or stop to fish. It was just a very casual railroad.”

Bonners Ferry, Seat of Boundary County

1899 saw the creation of the village of Bonners Ferry. Three settlements, Fry Eatonville and the Great Northern Addition were incorporated together, launching what would eventually become Idaho’s most northern city. In 1915, Bonners Ferry became the seat of Boundary County. Cars now traversed the roads – or tried to. They were often challenged by floods that washed out roads and flooded city streets.

“We had absolutely no dikes in those days,” said Kent. “Everything for the most part was a wooden structure, so if you weren’t secure you might have a business and it might be gone – somewhere down the river.” The 1975 construction of the Libby Dam has not completely stopped floods, but it has reduced the yearly potential for damage.

Boundary County: A Land of Many

Like many communities on America’s frontier, Bonners Ferry is a composite of cultures, identities and singular histories. The influx of pioneers brought not just European settlers, but people of many races and backgrounds. It brought positive growth and difficult social struggles. It was wrought by untold losses for some, and hard-fought gains for others.

In 1974, after years of frustration and impoverishment, the last 67 members of the Kootenai Indian Tribe declared war on the United States Government. It was a war of words and of symbolism, but it garnered the attention of Congress, which deeded the small Bonners Ferry tribe 12.5 acres of land. Twelve years later, as a reflection of their hard work, the tribe opened the Kootenai River Inn and Casino in downtown Bonners Ferry. It continues to draw business today.

This year’s Fourth of July celebrations reflected the cooperative spirit that helped found early Bonners Ferry. The events included participation from many communities, including the Kootenai Tribe, which hosted its first public Pow Wow in more than 15 years. That spirit continues this August, as Boundary County Fair gets underway, showcasing the unusual contributions of Bonners Ferry’s exceptional pioneer families.

#local