Spokane International Railway

In 1905 Inland Empire construction magnate D.C. Corbin set out to build a railway line from Spokane to the international border, planning to import coal from British Columbia to markets in eastern Washington. The Spokane International Railroad was to connect with the Canadian Pacific, making it an international transcontinental line. Financed by the sale of stock, the 140.8-mile line from Spokane to Eastport was completed in October 1906. Construction through Boundary County required four tunnels, bridges, trestles, and numerous construction camps, and Italian workers named the town of Naples south of Bonners Ferry. By 1907 the Spokane International ran two passenger trains daily. In 1916, the 30 miles between Bonners Ferry and Eastport included postal stops at Moyie Springs, Eileen, Meadow Creek, Snyder, and Addie. Financial problems frequently plagued the Spokane International. When passenger service was terminated in 1954, the railway initiated a new schedule for fast freight. In 1958 the Union Pacific purchased the line, constructed a new depot in Eastport in 1962, and built a new bridge across the Kootenai River in 1985. Today Bonners Ferry remains a town along the route, diesel engines have replaced steam locomotives, cabooses are gone, and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and the Union Pacific run non-stop through the county on century-old roadbeds, while long horn blasts at crossings recall the thousands of workers who built and continue to maintain the lines.

Bonners Ferry, Idaho · United States