A Brief History of Bonner County by Nancy F. Renk from Beautiful Bonner, The History of Bonner County, Idaho - Volume I

 

The first residents of the area now known as Bonner County found this an agreeable place to live, with a good supply of food and a relatively mild climate. Archaeological evidence suggests that American Indian occupation dates back to at least 7,000 years ago, and possibly much longer. Historically the Kalispel people have lived in the Pend Oreille area.

Acquisition of the horse in the early 1700s had a profound effect on traditional Kalispel culture. Increased mobility led to annual buffalo hunts east of the Rocky Mountains, bringing contact with Plains Indians. The Kalispel adopted some of the material culture of these tribes, including hide-covered tipis.

Despite their growing dependence on buffalo, the Kalispel remained adept at utilizing local resources. They caught fish and hunted a wide variety of game and birds. Women dug camas bulbs, baking them in large underground pits to render them suitable for winter storage. They also picked berries and wild fruits, drying large quantities for use during the cold months.

Traditional Kalispel territory extended from Lake Pend Oreille along the Pend Oreille River into eastern Washington, and east along the Clark Fork River into Montana. They established year-round settlements near present-day Laclede, on both sides of the river, and at the mouth of the Clark Fork River, where 300-400 Kalispel lived. There were additional permanent villages in eastern Washington, as well as numerous seasonal camps, including one near present-day Sandpoint.

As Euroamericans moved to the Inland Northwest in large numbers in the late 19th century, settlers encroached on traditional Kalispel lands. Efforts to establish a reservation for the Kalispel failed, and tensions between the two cultures increased. Michael, leader of the upper Kalispel, signed a treaty with the government in Sandpoint in 1887, but Masselow, leader of the Lower Kalispel, refused to agree to its terms. As a result, Congress never ratified the treaty.

In 1914, the Kalispel finally received more than 4,500 acres of land for a reservation in eastern Washington. Members of the tribe continued to travel in and out of Bonner County into the 1930s, following some of their traditional seasonal activities. Present-day Kalispel pursue a variety of economic ventures, including the lumber industry and livestock raising.

Idaho was the last state to be seen by Euroamericans. Lewis and Clark crossed into Idaho in August 1805 on their journey of exploration for the United States government. Their route took them far south of present-day Bonner County, over Lolo Pass and down the Clearwater River.

Within a few years, however, David Thompson arrived in northern Idaho. Thompson served as explorer, map maker, and trader for the the Canadian North West Company, a rival in the fur trade with Hudson's Bay Company. Although he was in Idaho for a total of only sixty-eight days over several years, Thompson's impact was tremendous. He not only expanded the fur trade into the Inland Northwest and established a trading post on Lake Pend Oreille, but he also located all the practical routes of travel.

In September 1809 Thompson and his associate, Finan MacDonald, arrived at Lake Pend Oreille where they established Kullyspel House. The trading post, named for the Kalispel Indians, was southeast of present-day Hope on the Hope Peninsula. After Thompson set up Saleesh House in Montana later that fall and Spokane House in 1810, travel among the three posts was frequent. The location of Kullyspel House off the main line of travel reduced the usefulness of the post, however, and led to its abandonment in 1811.

The North West Company was not alone in trying to harvest furs in the Pacific Northwest. Hudson's Bay Company maintained a chain of posts throughout the region and absorbed its opponent in 1821. The fur trade continued into the 1840s, but its importance declined as the years went on.

Two major survey projects introduced more newcomers to northern Idaho. Isaac Stevens directed a transcontinental railroad survey in the early 1850s, exploring several possible routes across Idaho. One along the northern shore of Lake Pend Oreille later became the route chosen by the Northern Pacific Railroad.

British and American surveyors camped in what is now Bonner County in 1860-1861 as they worked their way north to mark the international boundary. Survey crews established a supply depot at Seneacquoteen in 1860, and another one farther north at Chelemta, near present-day Bonners Ferry. From there crews moved north to the border, which they marked with a wide swath cut through the forest. Artist James Alden accompanied the American team, recording their activities much as a photographer would today.

The decade of the 1860s brought a flurry of activity to northern Idaho. Gold was discovered in 1863 on Wild Horse Creek in British Columbia and the next year near Helena, Montana. Thousands of miners swarmed through Idaho on their way to the new diggings. While those heading for Wild Horse followed the old Indian trail that David Thompson had used, miners going to Montana had the option of taking the recently completed Mullan military road (the route of Interstate 90) or the trail around Lake Pend Oreille. A steady stream of pack trains passed over both routes, taking supplies to the new camps.

The Pend Oreille route was plagued with mud problems which slowed, but did not stop, the determined travelers. Launching of the steamboat Mary Moody in 1866 helped ease this situation. The Oregon Steam Navigation Company built the boat at Seneacquoteen in the winter of 1865-66. Following the launching in late April, the Mary Moody carried packers and their animals from Seneacquoteen to Kootenai Landing if they were headed north, or to Cabinet Landing if

The Mary Moody docked at Pen d'Oreille City at the south end of Lake Pend Oreille.

they were headed east. Later in 1866 the home port was changed from Seneacquoteen to Pen d'Oreille City at the south end of the lake.

The distant mines stimulated the growth of the first two settlements in Bonner County. By 1867, Pen d'Oreille City had two grocery stores, a hotel, billiard hall, saloon, and stable and just about matched the booming metropolis of Seneacquoteen with its hotel, two stores, and two saloons. These towns did not last, however, fading as the mining boom dwindled at the end of the decade.

The impact of the mining boom on northern Idaho was temporary, but the coming of the railroad changed life here permanently. After the initial survey in 1853, the Northern Pacific conducted additional surveys in the 1870s to justify the big northerly sweep that the line took around Lake Pend Oreille.

Construction progressed slowly, moving from west to east through this area. The tracks reached the south side of the Lake Pend Oreille outlet at the end of 1881. The next year 6,000 men - 4,000 of them Chinese - continued the construction through the Clark Fork division which ran from Sandpoint into Montana. This was the most expensive section to build on the entire Northern Pacific line.

The town of Hope in the 1890s, taken from the top of the roundhouse.

The face of northern Idaho changed as towns grew up beside the tracks. Hope was the largest town in the area during the 1880s, achieving prominence as the Rocky Mountain division point on the Northern Pacific line. Engines turned around in the large roundhouse, and the railroad built shops, offices, and a "beanery" there.

In contrast to Hope's early boom, Sandpoint grew slowly following completion of the railroad. An 1883 visitor found only 300 people in town, and nine years later another traveler reported that "Sandpoint is made up of between three and four dozen rude shacks and perhaps a dozen tents." The town experienced tremendous growth, however, following the turn of the century.

Two other railroads contributed to the growth of Bonner County. The Great Northern Railroad came through in 1892, stimulating the development of Colburn, Laclede, and Priest River. In 1905, the Spokane International opened more of the countryside to development. Sawyer, Vay, and Clagstone grew up along this route.

While the railroads were the primary links connecting early communities, trails and rough roads were upgraded for general use. Much of this was done on a commission basis, with the county then granting the contractor the right to charge a set toll for using his road. Dr. Wilbur Hendryx held a franchise on the toll road running from Kootenai to Bonners Ferry, and the early county commissioners received many complaints from northern citizens about the unjust fares. The county gradually took over these roads, but maintenance was a continual problem. In October 1888, J.J. Noonan, Road Supervisor of District 3, reported that recent fires had destroyed all of the corduroy (log "ribbing" laid across a wet spot to provide stability) on the county road between Sandpoint and Kootenai Station. The commissioners appropriated $450 for necessary repairs.

Steamboats also served as an important link between towns and outlying areas. The heyday on Lake Pend Oreille ran from the 1880s into the 1930s. The boats burned many cords of wood on each trip to generate the necessary steam.

The surrounding countryside filled up with settlers who often homesteaded government land or purchased land from the railroad for as little as $2.60 an acre. Although land was cheap, life could be hard and frequently lonely. Elmina Markham arrived with her husband and seven children in November 1883, settling at Seneacquoteen where they operated a ferry for many years. Mrs. Markham later wrote, "I was here eight months without seeing a white woman. There was a man and his wife and two or three sons come here on a fishing trip. I went out and shook hands with her. I was so glad to see a white woman. She only stayed one day. My husband told me he thought she was afraid to stay longer for fear I would talk her to death."

As outlying areas grew, small communities developed. These were often served by a store, post office, and school. Schools functioned as community centers in most rural areas.

Along with people came industry. Mines prospered in many areas, including Priest Lake, Hope, Clark Fork, Lakeview, and Talache. Investors even backed a smelter at Ponderay to process local ore, but the venture did not last long.

The main industry, however, was timber. Big midwest companies began moving into the virgin forests of northern Idaho as their resources at home were depleted. Logging techniques changed over the years as the industry became mechanized. Early loggers knew how to use the difficult terrain of the region to their advantage. The steep mountain slopes had the grade needed for chutes and flumes. Heavy snows provided a good base for easy winter sleigh hauling. And swollen rivers in the spring provided transportation for logs to the mills.

The Humbird Lumber Company sawmill at Sandpoint, circa 1910. Baldy Mountain is in the background.

The Humbird Lumber Company grew to be the largest in the area, turning out 200,000 board feet every twenty-four hours. With a large mill, a shingle mill, and a company store, Humbird employed 350 men and provided a stable economic base for Sandpoint into the late 1920s.

Many families converted cut-over land into farms, or "stump ranches." The primary agricultural crop was hay, suited to the short growing season of northern Idaho. Timber companies purchased large quantities of hay to feed the horses used in logging operations.

The economic base supported the timber industry and agriculture has been expanded in recent years to include light industry and tourism. The Northern Pacific Railroad first recognized the tourist potential of northern Idaho when it built Highland House in Hope in 1886. Cross-country travelers could rest at this early resort, and many other tourist accomodations have followed through the years. Bonner County now offers year-round recreation.

Bonner County has grown and changed tremendously in its history, and it will continue to do so as it responds to shifts in population and changes in the economy. The area's rich past has helped shape it into the unique place it is today.

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