Back in the year 1863, thousands of prospectors flooded from the west on route to the North, over the course now know as the Wildhorse Trail. This sudden movement had been inspired by the discovery of large amounts of gold in the East Kootenais of British Columbia. In 1864 a man by the name of Edwin Bonner, as an enterprising merchant, constructed the ferry where the trail crossed the broad Kootenai River. Following this, in 1875 Richard Fry leased the business, and despite the change the location retained the name of the original founder, soon thereafter becoming the town know as Bonners Ferry.
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