Editing Bonners Ferry, Idaho (section)

==History==
[[File:Wild Horse Trail, Idaho State Historical Marker No. 150, Bonners Ferry, Idaho (51299839109).jpg|thumb|left|Idaho State Historical Marker No. 150 marking the Wild Horse Trail utilized by prospector pack trains]]

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,<ref>Pryce, Paula. ''Keeping the Lakes Way'', {{ISBN|0-8020-8223-8}}, University of Toronto Press, pp. 166–7</ref> 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 (explorer)|David Thompson]], a [[cartographer]] for the [[North West Company]]. Thompson and four fellow [[fur trader]]s 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 [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] Priest [[Pierre-Jean De Smet|Father DeSmet]], a missionary to the [[Kootenai Tribe]].<ref name="DTSPM">{{cite web |last1=Nisbet |first1=Jack |title=A place to build a House on |url=http://www.sandpointonline.com/sandpointmag/sms09/david_thompson.html |website=Sandpoint Magazine |publisher=Keokee Co. Publishing, inc. |access-date=26 April 2019}}</ref>

[[File:Bird's-eye view of Bonners Ferry, Idaho, between 1910 and 1920 (AL+CA 1539).jpg|thumb|left|Bonners Ferry ca. 1915]]

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 [[Canada–United States border#International Boundary Commission .281925.29|Boundary Commission]] came in 1858 to establish the border between the United States and [[British Columbia]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dougherty |first1=Phil |title=The International Boundary Commission first meets on June 27, 1857 |url=https://historylink.org/File/9328 |website=History Link |access-date=26 April 2019}}</ref>

Bonners Ferry in the 1880s flourished due to the mines in the north.<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome to Bonners Ferry, Idaho |url=http://www.sandpoint.com/community/bonners-ferry.php |website=Sandpoint |access-date=26 April 2019}}</ref> Entering service in 1883 the [[Norway|Norwegian]]-built [[Steamboat|steamer]] ''Midge'' [[Steamboats of the upper Columbia and Kootenay Rivers|transported passengers and freight between Bonners Ferry and British Columbia]] for 25 years. In 1892 The [[Great Northern Railway (U.S.)|Great Northern Railway]] was built, followed by the Spokane International and the Kootenai Valley lines.<ref>{{cite web |title=HISTORY OF BONNERS FERRY |url=http://www.threemilecorner.com/bonners_ferry.html |website=Three Mile Corner |access-date=26 April 2019}}</ref>

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.

[[File:Log jam, Bonners Ferry Lumber Co, Kootenai Falls, Idaho, 1911 (INDOCC 406).jpg|thumb|left|Bonners Ferry Lumber Co. workers working on a log jam upriver on the Kootenay, 1911.]]

Moving into the 20th century, the town became the center 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 mill]]s. 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 {{convert|10.5|acre|m2}} that is now the [[Kootenai Reservation]].<ref name=lewiston2June1976>{{cite news|last=Kuglin|first=John|title=Idaho Indians Reap Spoils Of War|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=u8ReAAAAIBAJ&pg=3257,433563|access-date=April 26, 2011|newspaper=[[Lewiston Morning Tribune]]|date=June 2, 1975}}</ref>

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