E.L. Bonner

by Hannah Combs

It all started last summer, when a collector from Oregon contacted the museum trying to sell us a gold cane handle. As the museum relies solely on donations of artifacts and does not purchase items for the collection, I was quick to squash his illusions of finding a ready buyer. Yet he did make an intriguing presentation: the gold cane top was engraved with the name E.L. Bonner, the same name and initials of the gentleman after whom Bonner County and Bonners Ferry are named.

Finding it hard to believe a humble ferry operator could afford a gold cane, I did a quick search online and found a few references to an Edward L. Bonner from Montana, touted as a founding member of Missoula and general well-to-do citizen. I assumed the cane must have belonged to the wealthy Montanan, and left the matter at that. But a lingering nag recently resurfaced.

Could it really be that two men with the same name could have made distinct impressions on two communities a mere 200 miles apart? Or was it possible that the two E.L. Bonners of Idaho and Montana were one and the same? A deep dive into the archives was the only way to find out. And the answer?

They are the same man.

Edward L Bonner seemed to be a driven, enthusiastic entrepreneur from a young age. (Yes, Edward. Despite tons of information that will tell you the namesake for our county was Edwin, his name was Edward.) Before moving West, he showed such aptitude for business leadership that he became a department head for the original New York City Lord & Taylor store—as a teenager!

After a long journey through the Panama Canal, Edward arrived on the West Coast in 1857 and established a successful mercantile store in Walla Walla, Washington. Despite its commercial success, he continued to seek opportunities far and wide.

When the gold rush to the Wild Horse mines in British Columbia began in 1863, Bonner and two others “purchased the right to build and operate a ferry on the Kootenai river from old Chief Abraham of the Kootenai tribe,” providing a service that prospectors had little choice but to accept. His ferry and the accompanying trading post were the first business enterprise of the settler era in what is now Boundary County. During the gold rush years, it was a “remunerative investment” for him. Although it’s his name that’s remembered, Bonner was just the moneyman for the venture, moving on within months and leaving John Walton to run the ferry.

In 1866, at age 32, he had moved on to Missoula and set down firmer roots. His Missoula Mercantile Company did so well he could build a family mansion that would be worth around $3 million today. He was instrumental in advocating for railroad development throughout Montana and was regularly pressured to run for Governor, though he never did.

Edward L Bonner was remembered as a loyal friend, “gentle in his manner and habits of speech.” At his death, which occurred in 1902 while driving one of Missoula’s first automobiles around town, the local newspaper called him one of the best known men in the state.

I had assumed he was a simple man of simple means, but the truth is, Bonner’s presence in North Idaho is barely a footnote in the biographies of his life.

The only mystery left is whether E.L. Bonner ever actually operated the “Bonner’s ferry” himself during the months he was here or, like most of his business investments, did he “entrust the execution of the plans and details to others?

The Bonner County History Museum at 611 S. Ella Ave., Sandpoint, welcomes visitors Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s also open the first Saturday each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with free admission. 208-263-2344, www.bonnercountyhistory.org