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, an enterprising merchant from Walla Walla, Wash., established a ferry in 1864 where the trail crossed the broad Kootenai River. In 1875 Richard 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 Northwest Trading Company. Thompson and four fellow fur traders arrived in 1808 to trade with the Lower Kootenais. He was followed in 1846 by Jesuit Priest Father DeSmet, a missionary to the Kootenai Tribe. Government surveyors of the Boundary Commission came in 1858 to establish the border between the United States and Canada.

With mines to the north, the community of Bonners Ferry began to flourish in the 1880s as a supplier. The Norwegian-built steamer “Midge” launched into service in 1883 and operated for the next 25 years carrying passengers and freight between Bonners Ferry and British Columbia. The Great Northern Railroad was built here in 1892, followed quickly by the Spokane International and the Kootenai Valley lines.

The town of Bonners Ferry was formally established in 1893 along the south bank of the Kootenai. 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 – much of it perched on stilts to avoid the inevitable spring floods – appeared to be a boom town.

Moving into the 20th century, the town became the center of a lumbering and farming community. The valley land was drained and diked, 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. Today, much of Main Street dates from this initial period of solid, permanent construction.

For a closer look at local history, visit the Boundary County Free Museum on Main Street (open May through August) to view its collection of more than 10,000 items