First settled in the late 1860s, Bonners Ferry is today a small city of 2,500 straddling the Kootenai River in the centre of Boundary County. The name
Bonners Ferry comes from the fact that
Edwin Bonner began operating a ferry over the Kootenai River at this place in 1864 to aid prospectors in crossing the river on their way to recent gold strikes in British Columbia. With mines opening in nearby areas, Bonners Ferry began to flourish in the 1880s, and the Great Northern Railway made its way through in 1892. The Spokane International and the Kootenai Valley lines soon followed. Established as a village in 1893, the town continued to grow as agriculture took a foothold in the valley. The forestry industry has also become a major player, further enhancing growth in Boundary County.
Likely of early twentieth century vintage, the two story Bonners Ferry town hall was built of brick with terra cotta decoration. Atop the flat roof is a tall, four sided clock, a reminder of the days before everyone and his dog carried a cell phone. Especially notable is one of the entrances on Main Street, a double wooden door surrounded by a beautiful terra cotta frame. To the right (north) of that notable door, which, incidentally, was originally the entrance to the upstairs library, are two large windows. These windows once were doors, behind which the town stored its fire fighting apparatus. Yes, that was for many years the Bonners Ferry fire hall. In the museum across the street is a
1923 Reo Fire Truck, put into service in the Bonners Ferry Fire Department in 1925 and stored in this very building.
The town hall has been in continuous use by the city since its construction. Unfortunately, the town has given us no information with regard to how long the fire department remained in the town hall. The town now has two relatively new fire halls, one in the downtown area and a second on the south hill. Today the space in town hall which was once the fire hall is occupied by meeting rooms and council chambers (this last related to me by a clerk in town hall).