From the Archives - Sept 24, 2026

It is always very exciting when new “old” artifacts come into the Museum. This card of arrowheads was recently donated.

Long before William Hawkins built his log home and US Highway 95/2 cut into the hillside creating the south end of the North Hill, the physical geography in that location was a rounded hill. It has been called ‘the knob’, as it rises distinctly above the Kootenai River Valley in the area we call District #2. It was a wonderful campsite for members of the Kootenai Tribe.

Many years later, Jack and Donna Stoner owned the place just south of the Hawkins House. They grew a large garden every year. While turning the soil and sifting through the garden dirt, they found these arrowheads. Jack cherished his Kootenai Indian arrowheads and mounted them on cardboard attaching them with black thread.

Our Field Researcher numbered the arrowheads to give an explanation of some of them. As you can see, number 2 is broken, and numbers 8 and 10 are unnotched.

Numbers 2, 3, 4 and 5 are siliceous siltstone or argillite from the Harvey Mountain Quarry. Number 10 is green chert from the Goatfell Quarry in British Columbia. Both of these sites are within the traditional territory of the Ktunaxa Nation.

Thanks to Jack Stoner for saving these pieces of history.

The Boundary County Historical Society and Museum, 7229 Main, Bonners Ferry, Idaho sponsors this column. 

Visit the museum, Thursday-Saturday 10 a.m.-3 p.m., or visit the website at boundarycountymuseum.org or the museum’s Facebook page for historical photos and stories, and to see upcoming events. The museum can be reached via email at [email protected] or by phone at 208-267-7720.