became known as the "Nile of the North," while the Bonners Ferry Lumber Company grew to be one of the world's largest lumber mills. The downtown took shape as brick buildings were constructed, replacing those on stilts. Completion of the Libby Dam in 1975 lessened the threat of serious flooding. Today, much of Main Street dates from this initial period of solid, permanent construction. On September 20, 1974, the Kootenai Tribe, headed by chairwoman Amy Trice, declared war on the United States government. Their first act was to post soldiers on each end of the highway that runs through the town who would ask people to pay a toll to drive through what had been the tribe's aboriginal land. The money would be used to house and care for elderly tribal members. Most tribes in the United States are forbidden to declare war on the U.S. government because of treaties, but the Kootenai Tribe never signed a treaty. The dispute resulted in the concession by the United States government and a land grant of that is now the Kootenai Reservation. Bonners Ferry is 8 miles (13 km) from the site of the Ruby Ridge confrontation and siege in 1992, which occurred just outside Naples, Idaho. Geography and climate Bonners Ferry is located 27 miles (43.5 km) south of the Canada-United States border at (48.692110, −116.317626), at an altitude of 1,896 feet (578 m). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Bonners Ferry has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb/Dsb) with cold, snowy winters and dry summers with hot days and cool nights. It is almost warm enough to be classed as a Mediterranean climate or oceanic climate, and snow depths above occur on 23.6 days on average. Demographics 2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 2,543 people, 1,117 households, and 631 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,254 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.3 percent White, 0.2 percent African American, 2.0 percent Native American, 0.6 percent Asian, 0.2 percent Pacific Islander, 0.5 percent from other races, and 2.2 percent from 2 or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.7 percent of the population. There were 1,117 households, of which 27.6 percent had children