Back in the year
1863, thousands of prospectors flooded from the west on route to
the North, over the course now know as the Wildhorse Trail. This
sudden movement had been inspired by the discovery of large
amounts of gold in the East Kootenais of British Columbia. In
1864 a man by the name of Edwin Bonner, as an enterprising
merchant, constructed the ferry where the trail crossed the
broad Kootenai River. Following this, in 1875 Richard Fry leased
the business, and despite the change the location retained the
name of the original founder, soon thereafter becoming the town
know as Bonners Ferry.
With mines to the north, the community of Bonners Ferry began to
flourish in the 1800’s as a supplier. “Midge”, the
Norwegian-built steamer, launched in 1883 and operated for the
next 25 years carrying passengers and freight between the areas
of Bonners Ferry and British Columbia. The Great Northern
Railroad, hereby, was built in the year 1892, followed soon
after by the Spokane International and the Kootenai Valley
lines.
The town of Bonners Ferry was formally established in 1893. This
took place along the south bank of Kootenai. At the time, a few
ranches and homesteads were scattered along the valley. The
development of numerous mines was in process, along in the
nearby mountains. This includes the Continental Mine in the
Selkirks. Another flourishing firm was the lumber industry.
Bonners Ferry rapidly was becoming a booming town, although much
of it was still perched on stilts to avoid the inevitable spring
floods!
Progressing along into the 20th century, Bonners Ferry became
the center of a lumbering and farming-based community. The
valley land became drained and barricaded. The “Nile of the
North” became the newest term for the rich Kootenai Valley. As
far as the Bonners Ferry lumber was concerned, they grew to be
one of the world’s largest lumber mills! Downtown steadily
became more inhabited as buildings were put in place, replacing
their predecessors on stilts. As far as the now, much of Main
Street still dates from this initial period of solid, permanent
labor. Thanks to the explorer Edwin Bonner, you may now visit
this steadily growing community!
Bonners Ferry today is a naturally beautiful environment in a
relaxed atmosphere. A visitor need only experience the quiet
streams, the peaceful alpine lakes, and the majestic forested
mountains abundant in wildlife to truly fall in love with this
area. Entertainment can range from the most genuine of times,
through enjoying the land. Fishing, horseback riding, cross
country skiing, target and trap shooting, square dancing,
whitewater rafting, golfing, canoeing, swimming, camping, bird
watching, photography, the growing community of Bonners Ferry
continues to be a family-based environment.
In the words of Mayor Darrell Kerby, “We are a community that
cherishes its past and embraces its future – a future that is
being forged by coalitions of diverse groups that make up the
unique fabric of Bonners Ferry, newcomers and old-timers alike.”
We couldn’t have said it better.
For an even closer look on the local history of Bonners Ferry,
please visit the Boundary county Free Museum on Main Street,
open in the months of May-August, to view a collection of more
than 10,000 items of Bonners history!
Information Deemed Reliable But Not Guaranteed
RiverStone Real Estate
Margie Stevens, Broker
This Sites Listings Were Last Updated: 8/7/2008 RiverStone Real Estate Is A Member of the Selkirk MLS
