Bonners Ferry, Idaho

Geography Bonners Ferry is located at 48°41'32" North, 116°19'3" West (48.692110, -116.317626)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.8 km² (2.2 mi²). 5.5 km² (2.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 5.78% water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 2,515 people, 1,027 households, and 650 families residing in the city. The population density is 458.0/km² (1,186.9/mi²). There are 1,120 housing units at an average density of 204.0/km² (528.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 95.67% White, 0.04% African American, 1.59% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.31% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. 4.29% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 1,027 households out of which 31.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% are married couples living together, 11.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% are non-families. 32.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.37 and the average family size is 3.00.

In the city the population is spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $24,509, and the median income for a family is $35,237. Males have a median income of $28,558 versus $16,776 for females. The per capita income for the city is $13,343. 20.0% of the population and 17.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 28.6% are under the age of 18 and 10.9% are 65 or older.

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[?], an enterprising merchant from Walla Walla, Washington, 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.