Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1915-05-07
INCORPORATED
l6 YEARS AGO
Bartlett Sinclair Gives Brief History oil
Events Leading to Incorporation
Of Bonpers Ferry
KINNEAR WAS THE FIRST MAYOR
Bonnerport and Eaton Consolidated
After Six Years Wait

Just at the time when a new
board of village trustees are begin
ming Office it is not amiss to give
little history of the incorporation
of the village of Boomers Ferry,
and the following article on the
subject has been prepared through
the kindness of Attorney Bartlett
Sinclair:
The incorporated limits of the
present Village of Boomers Ferry
includes all of the territory former
ly comprising Eaton, Bonnerport
and Boomers Ferry. The town of
Eaton was first Incorporated. The
date of incorporation was Feb. l,
1892. The board Of trustees in
cluded William Eaton, chairman;
G.. A. Thompson, Ben Morrow, A.
]. Jones and Thomas J. Jones. Mr..
Eaton was the original homestead
er, and still resides on part of the
homestead tract, hale and hearty.
Eighteen months after the or
ganization of Eaton the Village of
Bonnerport was organized. Bon
nerport included the business Sec
ton of Boomers Ferry. The origi-
nal trustees were James c. McRae,
Fred Kaiser, G. G.. Warner, B. c.
Heminger and w. F. Kalb.
1t was intended to incorporate
under the name of Boomers Ferry
instead of Bonnerport. To the use
of the former name, residents on
the Northside objected and threat
ened to institute proceedings to re-
strain the petitioners on the ground
that the Eorthside settlers had
filed plat under the designation
of Boomers Ferry. Several substi-
tute names we're suggested but
Bonnerport was finally decided
upon.
The council of Eaton held its
meetings in the old Eaton town
hall, since transformed into the
Union church building. The Bon
nerport council had headquar ters
in the building now used as a
plumbing shop on the eastside near
the river
Consolidation of these two mu-
inequalities was suggested almost
as soon as they were organized.
Local jealousies and distrust inter
ferred. A desultory filtration, how
ever, for six years, terminated in a
union April 1899 under the name
of Boomers Ferry, the original Bon
ners Ferry section being within
the consolidated village.
At that time the present chair
man of the council, Geo. R. Gray,
was chairman aud w. M. Crane,
P. B. Bothel, Julius Quist, and c.
w. Msrkle were associate trustees.
Of the Village of Eaton, S. D. Tay-
lor, 'Chas. O'Callaghan, Thomas
Jones and A. J. Kent were trustees.
William L. Kinnear, president
of the First National Bank, was
the first chairman of the Village of
Boomers Ferry and the trustees
were the trustees of the disincor-
porated Village of Bonnerport.
The following election, April
1900, William Eaton, E. L. Whit
ney, H. L. Medbury, John Null
field and J. P. Beeler were elected
trustees. The minutes of April 9,
1900, include this paragraph The
oath of Office was administered to
the trustees, all of whom were pres
eat, by w. L. Kinnear, the retiring
chairman of the old board. The
meeting was called to order by H.
L. Medbury, and E. L. Whitney
was elected temporary chairman
and S. d. Taylor temporary clerk. "
The village election, April 1901,
resulted in the choice of Caniain