1Title
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Boundary County Museum and Historical Society
Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Bonners Ferry.
1923 to 1934Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
10,296Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Bonners Ferry, Idaho.
Get to know Bonners Ferry, Idaho in earlier years through the newspapers shared in the Boundary County Museum and Historical Society's digital archive. The archive includes Bonners Ferry Herald, with material from 1923 to 1934.
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Selected title
From Boundary County Museum and Historical Society’s collection: “Bonners Ferry Herald”.
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Free and open access
No subscription or payment required.
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Ways to explore
Read the material in its own context. Keep any date and identifying details with your research notes.
Historical newspapers can connect a family name with the events and everyday concerns of an earlier time, offering more than a date or a name on its own. Bring a family connection, a question about a familiar place or an interest in local history, and see where the sources lead. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.
Explore the collection
Titles in this collection
Explore Bonners Ferry Herald through 10,296 digitized pages, with material from 1923 to 1934. A partnership between Boundary County Museum and Historical Society and Advantage Archives makes this collection available. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.
Start with one question, then read this source with its dates in mind.
Bonners Ferry Herald
10,296 pages from 1923 to 1934
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About the Archive
About the Boundary County Museum’s History Archives
The Boundary County Museum (operated by the Boundary County Historical Society) provides free and open access to its collection of historical newspapers, photographs, ephemera, and genealogical materials—serving as an educational resource for researchers, genealogists, and community members interested in exploring Boundary County’s collective history. In partnership with Advantage Archives , it participates in broader digitization efforts that make “history as it happened” discoverable and accessible to all. The museum’s archives include bound volumes, microfilm, and unbound copies of local newspapers, many of which are available via Chronicling America for earlier years.
About the Museum
About the Boundary County Historical Society & Museum
Located at 7229 Main Street, Bonners Ferry, Idaho, the Boundary County Museum is operated by a nonprofit historical society. It welcomes visitors and researchers Thursday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Admission is modest (around $2 for individuals, free for children and members). Staff and volunteers assist with archival inquiries, though some items are stored and require advance notice.
About the Archive
The History of the Boundary County Museum & Archives
The museum was founded in 1974 in the basement of the public library and has since moved and expanded. In 1986 it moved to the Houck Building on Main Street, which the society later purchased in 2006. Renovations in 2007 and 2012 added exhibit space, archival storage, and program areas. The collection now includes over 50,000 artifacts.
About the Community
About Bonners Ferry & Boundary County, Idaho
Boundary County, established in 1915, lies in northern Idaho, bordering Canada. Bonners Ferry is the county seat, a town shaped by logging, prospecting, homesteading, and rivers (notably the Kootenai). The cultural heritage includes the indigenous Kootenai people, pioneer settlement, and regional trade. The museum captures these aspects through period rooms and exhibits.
Local History
Did You Know?
- The archives include items not often seen in small museums: over 30,000 photographs, hundreds of oral histories, and extensive clipping files.
- Many early Boundary County newspapers (from 1891-1922) are digitized and searchable through the Chronicling America website.
- The museum building itself once was the Houck Building, purchased by the Historical Society in 2006, then remodeled in 2007 & 2012 to expand exhibits and storage.
Explore historical newspapers, photographs, artifacts, and genealogy resources by visiting the Digital Archives: Visit the Boundary County Museum Digital Archives .
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Read a report in its time and place
Start with something you would like to understand about the past of Bonners Ferry. It might be a person, a neighborhood or an event remembered in your family. Use the digital archive shared by the Boundary County Museum and Historical Society to follow that question into the historical record. When using historical newspapers, try alternate spellings and nearby dates, then read the surrounding page to place a local story in its time. Compare later reporting or another available title to explore different perspectives rather than treating one account as the whole story. Check nearby issues or another listed newspaper when available. Differences in timing and wording can add perspective to a story, while the issue date and surrounding articles help show what kind of account you are reading.
Follow a promising report into a nearby issue or another title where available. Compare dates and surrounding coverage; a single account is one perspective on a story. Use the surrounding account to shape your next question, while keeping each source's perspective distinct.
Keep the title, date, page, or item reference with each useful finding. Separate the words in a historical account from your interpretation, and note conflicting perspectives rather than choosing one too quickly. These notes help connect a local story to its evidence and show what remains uncertain.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Boundary County Museum and Historical Society, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.
Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.
Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.
Learn about partnerships
Stories, research tips, and archive news
Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.
May 7, 2025
Why Microfilm is still important in 2023
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May 7, 2025
Don’t Search For An Obituary By Only Searching For An “Obituary”
In the quest to trace our roots and understand our heritage, obituaries often serve as a crucial starting point. Obituaries are undoubtedly…
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April 9, 2025
Unveiling the Hidden Mysteries: Exploring Cold Cases and Unconventional Clues
Even the most esteemed police forces in the county encounter perplexing cold case files. These unsolved mysteries often leave investigators and genealogists…
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April 1, 2025
This Week in History: March 31st through April 6th
Discover History in The Community History Archives. This week in history, there is absolutely nothing to talk about… April Fools! April…
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March 24, 2025
This Week in History: March 24th through March 30th
Discover History in The Community History Archives. It has officially been a year since I started writing This Week in History,…
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March 18, 2025
It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?
We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
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