Cort Conley in "Idaho for the Curious" ( Backeddy Books, Cambridge, Idaho. 1982) writes (p. 668f):
The old Indian-Wild Horse Trail from Seneacquoteen came north through this area (Bonners Ferry). When gold was discovered on Wild Horse Creek, British Columbia, in 1863, thousands of prospectors, conscripted by the fever, came up the trail via Walla Walla to cross the river at this point. Not one to let an opportunity drift past, Edwin Bonner obtained an exclusive five-year franchise from the Territorial Legislature for this seven-mile stretch of river. His toll rates were $1.50 for loaded pack animals and .50 for a person on foot. . . . After the mining boom subsided, the settlement of Bonners Ferry looked like it be stranded out of place and time. Richard Frey leased the ferry from Bonner in 1875 . . .
Tribal headquarters are located at the Mission at Bonners Ferry, ID, and may be reached at (208) 267-3519. Their mailing address is PO Box 1269, Bonners Ferry, ID 83805. (web address - www.kootenai.org)
The railroads played a big role in the lives of the early settlers of Boundary County.
Boundary County History at Rural Northwest
Boundary County buildings on the Historical Register
Idaho Post Offices at Mark Metkin's website
Idaho State Historical Society