Bonners Ferry, Idaho, United States

🇺🇸 Bonners Ferry is the largest of two cities in and the county seat of Boundary County, Idaho, United States.

History When gold was discovered in the East Kootenays of British Columbia in 1863, thousands of prospectors from all over the West surged northward over a route that became known as the Wildhorse Trail. Edwin Bonner, a merchant from Walla Walla, Washington, established a ferry in 1864 where the trail crossed the broad Kootenai River. In 1875, Richard Fry, and his Sinixt wife, Justine Su-steel Fry, leased the business, but the location retained the name of the original founder and later became the town of Bonners Ferry.

Before the gold rush, only a few visitors had come to the region; one of the first was explorer David Thompson, a cartographer for the North West Company. Thompson and four fellow fur traders arrived in 1808 to trade with the Lower Kootenais. The local natives gave Thompson's party dried fish and moss bread. Thompson returned the next year and established a trading post on Lake Pend Oreille. He was followed in 1846 by Jesuit Priest Father DeSmet, a missionary to the Kootenai Tribe.

The Oregon Question was settled by the Oregon Treaty of 1846 which established the 49th Parallel north as the boundary between the US and British North America. Government surveyors of the Boundary Commission came in 1858 to establish the border between the United States and British Columbia.

Bonners Ferry in the 1880s flourished due to the mines in the north. Entering service in 1883 the Norwegian-built steamer Midge transported passengers and freight between Bonners Ferry and British Columbia for 25 years. In 1892 The Great Northern Railway was built, followed by the Spokane International and the Kootenai Valley lines.

The village of Bonners Ferry was formally established in 1893, along the south bank of the Kootenai River. Scattered along the valley and benchland were a few ranches and homesteads. Numerous mines were developed in the nearby mountains, including the Continental Mine in the Selkirks. The lumber industry also grew rapidly. Bonners Ferry, perched on stilts to avoid the inevitable spring floods, appeared to be a boom town.

Moving into the 20th century, the town became the centre of a lumbering and farming community. The valley land was drained, levees were constructed and farms were cleared on the benches. The rich Kootenai Valley became known as the "Nile of the North", while the Bonners Ferry Lumber Company grew to be one of the world's largest lumber mills. The downtown took shape as brick buildings were constructed, replacing those on stilts. Completion of the Libby Dam in 1975 lessened the threat of serious flooding. Today, much of Main Street dates from this initial period of solid, permanent construction.

On September 20, 1974, the Kootenai Tribe, headed by chairwoman Amy Trice, declared war on the United States government. Their first act was to post soldiers on each end of the highway that runs through the town who would ask people to pay a toll to drive through what had been the tribe's aboriginal land. The money would be used to house and care for elderly tribal members. Most tribes in the United States are forbidden to declare war on the U.S. government because of treaties, but the Kootenai Tribe never signed a treaty. The dispute resulted in the concession by the United States government and a land grant of 10.5 acres (42,000 m²) that is now the Kootenai Reservation.

Bonners Ferry is 8 miles (13 km) from the site of the Ruby Ridge confrontation and siege in 1992, which occurred just outside Naples, Idaho.

Geography Bonners Ferry is located 27 miles (43.5 km) south of the Canada-United States border at 48°41′32″N 116°19′3″W (48.692110, −116.317626), at an altitude of 1,896 feet (578 m). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.61 square miles (6.76 km²), of which 2.44 square miles (6.32 km²) is land and 0.17 square miles (0.44 km²) is water.

Transport Boundary County Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport located 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) north-east of the central business district of Bonners Ferry.

The railroad reached town in 1892; the then Great Northern Railroad as part of its transcontinental line over Maria's Pass, now BNSF. The Kootenai Valley Railway existed 1898-1915. In 1910 a second railroad was built through Bonners Ferry: Spokane International Railroad connecting the US to Canada, now Union Pacific.

While Amtrak's Empire Builder runs through town, the nearest station is at Sandpoint (the only Amtrak station in Idaho).

Local media Bonners Ferry has been home to KBFI AM 1450 since 1983. It is owned by local licensee Radio Bonners Ferry, Inc, owned by Blue Sky Broadcasting, Inc. While licensed to Bonners Ferry and having its transmitter site located there, KBFI shares studios and offices with its sister stations (KSPT, KIBR, and KPND), in nearby Sandpoint, Idaho.

A prominent newspaper in Bonners Ferry is the weekly Bonners Ferry Herald, owned by Hagadone Publishing.

Sport Bonners Ferry High School has physical education programs such as wrestling, football, baseball, soccer, cheer, dance, golf, and basketball.

There are teams fielded for Little league baseball, in association with nearby Sandpoint, Idaho.