Bonners Ferry: Visiting downtown Bonners Ferry, Id. was an enjoyable and relaxing way to spend the day on July 4th. While several businesses were closed for the holiday most restaurants and some shops were open for the day. Bonners Ferry sits about 25 miles from the Canadian border in the panhandle of Idaho. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Kootenai River: The Kootenai River runs through Bonners Ferry dividing the town into two halves with one half on each side of the river. Shown are boaters on the river on July 4th, a beautiful day in Northern Idaho for the holiday. Seen on the hillside are some of the homes in Bonners Ferry. The town was originally named after founder Edwin Bonner who also built the first ferry to cross the Kootenai River. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
On the morning of July 4 in Sand Point, Idaho we had plans to watch the fireworks that evening at Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, which is about an hour south of Sand Point. We decided to explore more of Northern Idaho by driving north about an hour to the Kootenai River Valley and the town of Bonners Ferry, Idaho.
The drive was spectacular as we enjoyed some beautiful country filled with lakes, rivers, and conifer forest covered mountains. Driving north on Highway 95 (also known as Wild Horse Scenic Byway) toward Bonners Ferry is a two-lane road with ample curves and an abundance of scenery and small farms and ranches scattered through the valley. We found the best way to travel the route is to slow down and soak in the views.
Several creeks come into view during the drive but the term creek in Northern Idaho is different than a creek in the Southwest or Rocky Mountain regions of our country. The creeks in Northern Idaho are the size of rivers in our part of the country. One of our thoughts as we traveled around the panhandle region of Idaho is “Wow! There is a lot of water everywhere you look up here!”
The short drive to Bonners Ferry did indeed take us well over an hour but I blame my camera for the slow-down. There were several opportunities to stop and take in the views and capture the beauty with the camera.
We did not know what to expect when we arrived at Bonners Ferry. It may have been a country store and a few houses scattered about but what we found was a nice size (but small) town in the Kootenai River Valley with the Kootenai River weaving its way through the area dividing the town with half of town on one side of the river and half of town on the other side of the river. Bonners Ferry sits about 25 miles from the Canadian border.
With the name Bonners Ferry we thought we would see a ferry in the area but that was not the case. Bonners Ferry was discovered in the 1860s by an explorer named Edwin Bonner. Gold was discovered in the Selkirk Mountains but most of the mining was a little farther north in Canada. Bonners Ferry became a stopping point for prospectors who were moving north from the western U.S. into Canada. The town was named for the founder Ed Bonner. As the prospectors traveled north there needed to be a way of crossing the wide Kootenai River and Bonner built the first Bonners Ferry. Today the ferry has been replaced with modern bridges.
We drove around for a while but spent most of our time in the historic downtown area. Most of the small downtown was constructed during the early days when the area was a stopping point for prospectors. Most buildings in downtown now were built in the early 1900s after a fire destroyed much of the original wood structures in downtown.
The date of our visit was July 4th so many downtown businesses, including the two museums, were not open. However, eateries and a few shops were open as we walked around admiring the small downtown and the sites in the area.
We were drawn to two businesses while walking the area, a restaurant and a bookstore. I am a fan of small, privately owned bookstores, especially those that sell used books. I always walk through these stores but usually don’t buy too much but this store had a wonderful stock of books that interested both of us and we walked out with a bag full of books.
The other business that caught our attention was one of the restaurants, Kootenai River Brewing Company. We stopped in for lunch where we both ordered salmon fish and chips. The lunch was fantastic! It was after we ate that we learned that dishes with Alaskan Sockeye Salmon was their specialty. The restaurant has Alaskan Sockeye Salmon shipped in from Bristol Bay, Alaska. The salmon and chips (made in-house) were seasoned to perfection. This lunch turned out to be our favorite meal of the entire trip.
So, what did we discover as we roamed the northern portion of the Idaho panhandle? We found one of the most picturesque towns (and there are many in this part of the country). We found a charming downtown even on a national holiday and we had a great time during our day in Bonners Ferry. Now it was time to drive south to Coeur d’Alene where we would be for the night and to celebrate July 4th with a great fireworks display. We had plenty of time as the sun sets late when you are farther north. The fireworks did not start until 10 p.m.!
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Bridge Over the Kootenai River: The ferry is no longer needed to cross the wide expanse of the Kootenai River. Modern bridges now provide crossing in Bonners Ferry. Prospectors in the late 1800s needed a way to cross the river and a ferry was the answer for many years. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Main Street: A view of Main Street in Bonners Ferry shows some of the shops and businesses. We enjoyed visiting the Bonner Books store shown with the aqua colored tiles on the facade of the building. While it was July 4th, there were still several people in the historic downtown district of town. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
KRBC: Shown is the entrance door to the Kootenai River Brewing Company in downtown Bonners Ferry. I had a feeling with a door opener made from a moose rack we may be in for a good meal. We enjoyed the lunch which was our favorite meal of our trip. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Northern Idaho Farm: Just minutes from downtown Bonners Ferry are several farms and ranches. The Selkirk Mountains provide a beautiful background for any property especially the open fields of the farms and ranches. The colorful bright yellow crop is canola which is seen often in the northwest U.S. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Selkirk Mountains and Kootenai River: A boater cruises around a curve in the Kootenai River as the Selkirk Mountains provide a beautiful surrounding for the boaters as well as drivers on Highway 95. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com