1892

James J. Hill realized his vision of a northernmost transcontinental railroad in 1892, after the 1889 discovery of the Marias pass in Montana. The gentle grade and wide valley of the 5,213 ft. pass through the Rocky Mountains contrasted with the most difficult section of construction along the steep canyon walls of the Kootenai River east of Bonners Ferry.
Railroad construction brought workers to rough and lawless work camps which sprung up along the line. These included Crossport, a huge supply camp with hundreds of workers and a colony of camp followers. Workers lived in tents and makeshift shacks, entertaining themselves by drinking, gambling, and prostitution.
The rail road also brought Chinese workers to the area where anti-Chinese sentiment was a heated issue during this period of western development. On a June night in 1892, a group of several hundred men gathered on Bonners Ferry's Main street. They gave 48 Chinese men only two hours to pack their belongings and leave town on a special Great Northern train consisting of two boxcars and a caboose. There was no report of violence.
The Great Northern railroad brought permanent changes and new settlers, some leaving the logged-out Midwest. Attracted by virgin timber and rich farmland, many homesteaders came by rented box cars filled with their animals, farming equipment,



and household goods. In the early 1900s J.J. Hill sold thousands of acres of timberland to Weyerhaeuser Company, on of the largest timber operations in the Pacific Northwest.
The railroad stimulated economic growth as shipments of Boundary County ore, grain, and lumber traveled to distant markets. Over time the Great Northern merged multiple times to finally become Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.
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Great Northern trains originating from west coast ports transported international products to midwest and east coast cities. One of the valuable commodities was bales of raw silk imported to San Francisco and Seattle on Japanese and English ships from 1912 to 1933. The GN ran special high-speed silk trains which had priority over other trains and often attracted curious crowds along the way.

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Show me all markers in:  Bonners Ferry, ID  |  Boundary County  |  83805  |  Idaho  |  United States of America

Logging Railroads
Railroad Services
Railroad Laborers
Spokane International Railway
Kootenai Valley Railway
A Town is Born Along the Way
Semaphores
Pelton Wheel
Solving Power Problems
Electrifying Bonners Ferry

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