Bonner County Historical Society and Museum

History of the BCHS

In 1953, the first Museum in this area was established in Room 2 of the Sandpoint High School by Dr. Ethel Page Westwood. It was called the Museum of Natural and Human History and displayed her extensive collection of rocks and fossils along with artifacts that were contributed by local residents.

Within a year, the Museum moved to the annex of the Sandpoint Community Hall and later to the basement of the Sandpoint Library at Second and Poplar Streets. Without a permanent location, the collections suffered damage and there were limitations in how things could be displayed, so the long search for a permanent structure to house the Museum began. Fundraising efforts to build a museum started with the David Thompson Sesquicentennial Commemoration in 1959 which put $550 into the coffers.