Bonners Ferry: Born of a Gold Rush and a Wide River

When gold was discovered in British Columbia's East Kootenays in eighteen sixty-three, thousands of prospectors surged north along what became known as the Wildhorse Trail. The trail crossed the wide Kootenai River here, and a merchant named Edwin Bonner saw an opportunity. In eighteen sixty-four he set up a ferry at the crossing.

Bonner eventually moved on, but the crossing kept his name. A steamboat called the Midge began serving the river in eighteen eighty-three, connecting the Idaho territory to British Columbia. The town that grew around that crossing became a regional hub for logging and eventually agriculture in the broad Kootenai Valley.

A gold rush begat a ferry, which begat a town.