Near Main Street near Riverside Street, on the right when traveling north.
The Lower Kootenai people, on their seasonal migrations, were the first to travel through this area. They walked time-worn forest trails and paddled their sturgeon-nosed canoes on the Kootenai River and through the valley marshlands.
In 1808 . . . — — Map (db m122713) HM
On Chinook Street at U.S. 95, on the right when traveling east on Chinook Street.
Gold miners rushing to Wild Horse in British Columbia in 1863 were paddled across this river by Indians; in 1864 E.L. Bonner established a proper ferry here.
This ferry and its trading store served the Wild Horse packtrains for many years. . . . — — Map (db m122203) HM
On Main Street near U.S. 95, on the left when traveling west.
Bonners Ferry riverfront today is quiet compared to the bustling center of activity it was during the 1860s gold rush. Picture prospectors and pack trains, traders and supples, all gathered here waiting to be ferried across the river to continue . . . — — Map (db m122656) HM
On U.S. 95 at milepost 504 near Deep Creek Loop (State Highway 2), on the left when traveling north.
Coming from Canada, the famous map maker and trader for the North West Company explored this area and river in 1808.
On May 8 somewhere near here, Thompson's famished party, all sick from eating a "much tainted" antelope, met ten lodges of . . . — — Map (db m122201) HM
On Riverside Drive near Main Street, on the right when traveling west.
Harnessing water for power
Electricity and fast-flowing rivers are inseparable in the Pacific Northwest. In the early 1900s, harnessing the power of water to supply Bonners Ferry's ever-increasing demand for electricity was challenging. . . . — — Map (db m122658) HM
On U.S. 95 at milepost 504 near Deep Creek Loop (State Highway 2), on the left when traveling north.
Moving from the north down this valley, the edge of the continental ice sheet blocked rivers and formed glacial lakes.
Then as the ice gradually melted, a lake rose here behind the receding ice dam, and extended up Kootenai valley into . . . — — Map (db m122174) HM
On Main Street near Riverside Street, on the right when traveling north.
James J. Hill realized his vision of a northernmost transcontinental railroad in 1892, after the 1889 discovery of the Marias pass in Montana. The gentle grade and wide valley of the 5,213 ft. pass through the Rocky Mountains contrasted with the . . . — — Map (db m122715) HM
On Chinook Street at U.S. 95, on the right when traveling east on Chinook Street.
The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho has lived in their aboriginal homeland of Idaho, Montana and British Columbia for thousands of years.
A unique culture, the Kootenais are known for their distinctive sturgeon-nose canoe and their linguistically . . . — — Map (db m122202) HM
The Kootenai Valley Railroad, a subsidiary of the Great Northern, connected the main line from a spur near Bonners Ferry to the southern end of Kootenay Lake in British Columbia. Completed in 1899, its purpose was to connect with the Canadian Kaslo . . . — — Map (db m122716) HM
Near Main Street near Riverside Street, on the right when traveling north.
In the early days, this area was forested with vast swaths of huge virgin timber. As timber became less available along waterways, logging spur lines and railroad sidings were constructed to access more distant timber. Many logging camps sprang up . . . — — Map (db m122720) HM
On U.S. 2, 0.4 miles south of Old US Highway 2, on the right when traveling south.
[front side] Constructed in 1964, the 1223 ft. long steel truss bridge spans the Moyie River Canyon at a height of 464 ft. It replaces the old bridge built in 1923 and 1¼ miles of narrow, winding highway. It is the second highest bridge in . . . — — Map (db m73505) HM
On Riverside Street (U.S. 2) at Riverside Street, on the left when traveling east on Riverside Street.
This Pelton Wheel provided the power to generate the first electricity from the foot of Myrtle Creek 6 miles west of town, for the Village of Bonners Ferry from 1906 – 1921. — — Map (db m109851) HM
Near Main Street near Riverside Street, on the right when traveling north.
A vast labor force was needed during construction of the railroads. Workers came from many ethnic groups, bringing a piece of "home" with them as they contributed to the growing culture of Boundary County.
Laborers hired for low wages, . . . — — Map (db m122718) HM
Near Main Street near Riverside Street, on the right when traveling north.
Railroads brought many changes to rural life, providing access to roadless areas. Depots were built in towns like Leonia, Meadow Creek, and Addie. Passenger cars carried people comfortably on business and pleasure trips, dramatically reducing travel . . . — — Map (db m122719) HM
Semaphores were signaling devices used along railroads to control the movement of trains. The position of the blades and colored lenses told the engineer whether he should continue at the present speed, slow down and proceed with caution or move to . . . — — Map (db m122721) HM
During the 1920s, the Bonners Ferry Water and Light Department made multiple improvements to the Moyie River and Myrtle Creek power plants, but relying on hydroelectric power alone has its drawbacks. Generating electricity depended on river . . . — — Map (db m122661) HM
Near Main Street near Riverside Street, on the right when traveling north.
In 1905 Inland Empire construction magnate, D.C. Corbin, set out to build a railway line from Spokane to the international border. His plan was import coal from British Columbia to markets in eastern Washington.
The Spokane International Railroad . . . — — Map (db m122717) HM
On U.S. 95 at milepost 504 near Deep Creek Loop (State Highway 2), on the left when traveling north.
Thousands of eager miners came by here in an 1864-65 gold rush to Wild Horse, BC. Parts of their pack trail still can be seen.
An extension of North Idaho's earlier gold excitements, Wild Horse was served by a pack trains that hauled . . . — — Map (db m122176) HM
