Bonner County celebrating history
Bonner County residents have seen a lot of change in the past 100 years, from the decline of the timber industry and the end of ferry traffic on the Kootenai River to the rise of recreation, tourism and retirement living. A three-day celebration this weekend will commemorate those and other highlights from the county’s first century.
“We’re trying to bring the past up to now and let people know how lucky we are,” said Betty Kinne, a member of the Bonner County Centennial Celebration Board.
Kinne, who has lived in the county 54 years, said she hopes the celebration will bring a sense of unity.
The celebration is loaded with historical exhibits, demonstrations and entertainment reflecting the past. Its theme is “Bonner County: 100 Years of Living.”
When the county was established, its main industry was logging. This weekend’s demonstrations will include a one-man sawmill, a woodcarver and old hand-logging equipment.
Visitors will also see how early residents made candles, butter and baskets. Livestock activities will include bull-riding by cowboys from the region.
In addition to this weekend’s celebration, the Bonner County Historical Society is organizing a series of countywide programs and events this year focusing on individual communities.
The county, formed in 1907, is named for Edwin L. Bonner, who purchased the right to build and operate a ferry on the Kootenai River.
Bonner County’s highlights include:
1907: Bonner County is formed in February out of Kootenai County. Page Hospital opens in Sandpoint in April.
1910: A fire burns much of the timber inventory in the east end of the county.
1920: Nell Irion, of Sandpoint, becomes the first woman from Idaho to run for Congress.
1931: Humbird Lumber, begun in 1900, closes its lakeside mill at Sandpoint in November. The planer at Kootenai closes in 1934.
1933: The Civilian Conservation Corps begins operations, becoming a savior to many during the Depression. By 1936, there are 20 permanent camps in North Idaho. Many of the young men serving in the CCC are not from Bonner County but from cities all around the country.
They plant millions of trees, put in hundreds of thousands of days fighting fires, string thousands of miles of telephone wire and marry dozens of local girls.
1949: The last log drive in Bonner County down the Priest River takes place.
1956: Diamond Match closes the last of its logging camps at Priest Lake.
1957: The last ferry in Bonner County closes. Folks have a much longer trip from Hoodoo Valley to Laclede after that.
1977: Bonner County Fair celebrates its 50th anniversary.
1991: The first issue of Sandpoint Magazine is published.
2005: Elaine Savage, of Priest River, becomes first female Bonner County sheriff.