Museum Collection

The Bonner County History Museum houses an extensive collection of research and archival materials which are available for public research with assistance from museum staff.

In addition to our extensive newspaper and oral history archives, the key to our creating our exhibits is our collection of over one million objects and photographs.

Our collection

The Museum’s collection includes:

  • Over one million catalogued photographs, objects, and artifacts

  • Maps

  • A Reference Library

  • Genealogical Materials

  • Directories

  • Government Documents

  • Community Files

  • School Files

  • Library Volumes

  • Home, Property & Homestead Documents

Donate to our collection

The Museum welcomes donations of objects, photographs, and documents relating to the history of Bonner County. Photographs can also be digitally copied by museum staff and the original returned to the owner. Every donation adds to the historical record of northern Idaho and ensures that your family history in Bonner County will be preserved in perpetuity.

  • Museum Collection

    An extensive collection of research and archival materials which are available for public research with assistance from museum staff.

  • Newspaper Archives

    The museum’s newspaper archive contains original newspapers dating from the mid-1890s to present.

  • Oral Histories

    The mission of BCSC is to collect the stories of community members ready to share their life history with the Museum archives.

The Railroad Collection
Rebekah Davis Rebekah Davis

The Railroad Collection

The Northern Pacific, building from Spokane east, reached Bonner County in 1881-2. The line crossed Lake Pend Oreille on a long bridge, went up a sandy point, around the north end of the lake and then up the Clark’s Fork River and on to the east.

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Additional Resources

Priest Lake Museum Association Collection

North Idaho regional resources

The following resources are available online and free to the public:

Family history resources

Looking for resources to aid your family history research? Try the following resources: