Come on down to the museum and see what has changed!
It is no longer the one room you remember, it is three rooms full of excitement!
Once today becomes yesterday, it also becomes history
Come visit the Kootenai Kid and find out what he is up to!
Here is a sample of a few of our exhibits!
“Knights of Pythias Collection”
“An expert researcher on the Knights of Pythias was so excited to see the collection of artifacts from the local lodge. He said it was the most artifacts he has ever seen in one collection. “Very impressive”.
“The new Kootenai Tribe exhibit!”
The Museum’s collection doubled in size with the help of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, who have placed on display artifacts returned to the tribe from the Freddie Florea Collection, Paul Flinn Collection and Nellie Ruckey Collection; and also donated money to purchase new display cases.
Our “Hole in the Wall”,
the “Fire & Flames” display,This exhibit will feature A.J. Kent, Frank
Zimmerman, and Wes Deitz and chronicles the
formation of the Bonners Ferry Fire Department.
The focal point of the exhibit is a 1923 REO Fire Truck belonging to the Smoke Eaters Club, and various and sundry fire equipment and items displayed on behalf of the City. The second part of this exhibit will explain the history of blacksmithing and local smithies Peter Silas and Jess and Bob Meeker of Meeker’s Machine Shop.
The exhibit will feature Marion Bradley’s blacksmith shop collection including a forge with blower, coal tinderbox, anvil and various hand-held forging tools.
Portrait Hall!
Both the latest and the largest area in the museum, the portrait hall is so named for its collection of Bette Myers paintings originally commissioned by Stan and Georgia DeHart for display in their downtown drug and jewelry store.
The oil paintings of 40 “pioneers” of Boundary County, commissioned by Stan and Georgia DeHart and painted by local artist Bette Myers, are now safely protected from the cold.
The White Caribou Saloon!
It took a lot of dedicated volunteers to bring back to life the old White Caribou Bar, founded more than 100 years ago in Bonners Ferry.Fred Fisher opened the bar, which featured the iconic Bonners Ferry white caribou, on Main Street in 1905, and ran it until it closed four years later in 1909.
