Follow the community’s history through photographs, newspaper reports and postal records, from the land before homesteading to the continuing record today. Photographs are preserved locally with dates, credits and links to their source records.

The land before homesteading

The Del Bonita area lies within the Blackfoot homeland. The Blackfoot Confederacy describes Kitaowahsinnoon as extending across today’s Canada–United States boundary. The nearby Hoyt Tipi Ring Site is a designated Provincial Historic Resource. Blackfoot Confederacy · Alberta Register of Historic Places · Land and First Peoples

1912: the land rush

The land rush for farms in the Del Bonita area brought applicants to the Land Office in Lethbridge, at the Dominion Public Building. These photographs show the queue there. Galt photograph record

10 April 1912: waiting for the opening

People lined along two sides of the Land Office in Lethbridge, with tents and blanket shelters beside the sidewalk, on 10 April 1912.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 5. 10 April 1912: the queue outside the Land Office in Lethbridge. The book describes tents beside the sidewalk and blanket shelters fastened to the fences. Full provenance.

1 May 1912: homestead applications open

A crowd of prospective homesteaders outside the Land Office in Lethbridge, with a bicycle and early automobiles in the foreground, on 1 May 1912.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 6. 1 May 1912: prospective homesteaders outside the Land Office in Lethbridge. The book also lists the first twenty people in line; their names are preserved with the source caption. Full provenance.

Galt’s account of the May 1, 1912 land rush describes hundreds gathering in Lethbridge for land between the Milk River and the United States border. More than 300 people, including two women, received plots. Numbered spaces marked in chalk on the sidewalk kept the queue in order. Anine Vonkeman, Galt Museum & Archives, April 29, 2014

Other views from 1912

People queued outside the Dominion Public Building to file homestead claims.
Land rush for homesteads in the Del Bonita area, 1912. Galt Museum & Archives, accession 19738609000. Source and provenance.

People lined up at the Dominion Public Building to file for homesteads in the Del Bonita area. Galt’s catalogue dates this photograph to 1912 and identifies St. Aloysius Convent in the left background. Galt photograph record

A view of the homestead queue outside the Dominion Public Building in 1912.
Line-Up To File Homesteads, 1912. Galt Museum & Archives, accession 19760206005; acquisition source George Bruchet. Source and provenance.

For this view, Galt identifies police watching the crowd and automobiles in front of the Dominion Public Building on 1st Avenue South. George Bruchet donated the photograph. Photograph and provenance

1913–1914: a name and a post office

Emma Waters organized a meeting to petition for a post office in 1913 and proposed the name Del Bonita. The office opened on June 1, 1914, with William Newton as first postmaster. Journal of Alberta Postal History, no. 26, p. 16 · The naming story · Full post-office history

1915: Del Bonita’s school district

Del Bonita School District No. 3275 was established on June 25, 1915. Heritage of the High Country, p. 146 · School and community history

1918: the Shanks Lake schoolhouse tender

On March 23, 1918, Shank’s Lake School District No. 3329 advertised for a schoolhouse on Section 2, Township 2, Range 21, west of the Fourth Meridian. Building tender · Shanks Lake School

1924: a meeting in the schoolhouse

The Del Bonita U.F.A. met at the schoolhouse on April 5, 1924. Members discussed roads, a proposed bridge and wheat-pool payments. The evening ended with singing and refreshments. Lethbridge Daily Herald, April 11, 1924, p. 5 · School and community

1924: the Fishers open a store

Albert and Reatha Fisher returned to the Del Bonita district in 1924 and opened a general store on George Weatherley’s farm. Their family history describes the store being moved by horses to the present site of Del Bonita, where they built a house and, later, a new store. Gladys Farries, Fisher family account, Heritage of the High Country, p. 331 · The Fisher store photographs

Explore the Fisher buildings, the Red & White store and the later John’s Hardware.

1925: the Boundary Baseball League

C. Graveland records that schoolteacher Everett Hedley helped organize district players, and a meeting at Whiskey Gap established the Boundary Baseball League in 1925. Its seven original teams were Del Bonita, Rinard, Taylorville, Jefferson, Kimball, Aetna and Woolford. After the first year, Del Bonita and Rinard combined into one Del Bonita team. C. Graveland, “Baseball — The Boundary League,” Heritage of the High Country, p. 175

Rinard baseball players standing and seated with bats, a trophy and catching equipment.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 177. Rinard baseball team, about 1925. Rinard was a separate district team before combining with Del Bonita. Full provenance.

1929: Huey Gum at Fareham

Huey Gum moved from Woolford to his restaurant at Fareham, later known as Whiskey Gap. His restaurant, pool hall and rooms building was subsequently brought to Del Bonita. Cardston News, June 13, 1929, p. 2 · Huey Gum Inn · Whiskey Gap

1929: Lens Schoolhouse

Lens Schoolhouse, a wooden building with four tall front windows and an entrance porch to one side.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 148. The book captions this photograph “Lens School house — 1929.” Full provenance.

1930s: Albert Fisher picking gooseberries

Albert Fisher holding a small basket while picking gooseberries beside a fence.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 211. Albert Fisher, identified by the book as the owner of the Del Bonita store, picking gooseberries in the 1930s. Full provenance.
Reatha Fisher beside a car in front of a wooden building with an enclosed entrance porch.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 331. Around the 1930s, as dated by the curator. The book identifies Reatha Fisher standing in front of their store. The curator identifies the house pictured as the Fisher house and confirms it was still standing in October 2026. Full provenance.

The book’s “Stores in the High Country” page also preserves these views of the Fisher business, from its first premises on George Weatherley’s farm to the stores and house at Del Bonita. Their printed captions do not give photograph dates. Heritage of the High Country, pp. 63 and 331

Fisher’s first store, a wooden farm building with a horse standing beside it.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 63. Fisher’s first store on George Weatherley’s farm in the Del Bonita district. Undated. Full provenance.
Fisher’s store with a Red & White Stores sign and a house beside it.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 63. Fisher’s store and house, Del Bonita. Undated. Full provenance.
Horse-drawn bob-sleighs standing in snow outside Fisher’s store.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 63. Winter at Fisher’s store, Del Bonita. The caption describes farmers arriving by bob-sleigh to buy groceries and catch up on the news. Undated. Full provenance.
Two Fisher store buildings standing side by side, with a fuel pump outside the nearer store.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 63. Fisher’s new and old stores, Del Bonita. Undated. Full provenance.

1931: Shanks Lake School children

Nine children standing in a row, with Shanks Lake School Children 1931 written above them.
Galt Museum & Archives, 19841071022. Catalogue date: 1931. Source and provenance.

Shanks Lake School pupils in 1931. Galt identifies Phil Hillmer, Keith Gibb, Don Gibb, John Gibb, Albert Hillmer, Merman Hillmer, Bertha and Myrtle Hillmer, and Mary Gibb. The museum credits the Del Bonita Historical Society and records Ernie Hillmer of Magrath as the owner of the original photograph.

1936: Del Bonita’s baseball team

The Del Bonita baseball team posed in two rows, with crossed bats in front.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 177. Del Bonita baseball team, 1936. Full provenance.

1936: oil exploration at Del Bonita

An early oil derrick at Del Bonita, with a small building at its base.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 198. An early oil well at Del Bonita, 1936. Full provenance.
Sunshine Oil Well No. 1 at Del Bonita, with equipment hanging inside the tall derrick.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 197. Sunshine Oil Well No. 1, Del Bonita, August 1936. The book’s caption identifies the bull wheel in the derrick and attributes it to brake failure. Full provenance.

1936–1939: schoolhouses and the move to Del Bonita

The community history describes Shanks Lake and Del Bonita as separate district schoolhouses brought to the centralized site in 1939. Heritage of the High Country, pp. 146–147 and 160

Shanks Lake School — captioned 1936

Shanks Lake School, a wooden schoolhouse with an enclosed entrance porch, with a horse nearby.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 56. The book captions this photograph “Shanks Lake School — 1936.” Full provenance. Also held by Galt Museum & Archives, accession 19841071039, dated 1936; museum copy.

Moving the schoolhouse — catalogued 1939

A wooden building with a hipped roof and enclosed entrance, with people outside.
Galt Museum & Archives, 19841071011. Catalogue date: 1939. Source and provenance.

Galt catalogues this photograph as Moving The del Bonita School and dates it to 1939. Its description identifies men moving, or preparing to move, the building to the centralized site. Galt photograph record

The July 14, 1939 Lethbridge Herald separately reported that the Shanks Lake schoolhouse had been moved to land north of Del Bonita’s post office. The book records the original Del Bonita schoolhouse moving that summer too. Newspaper report · Heritage of the High Country, pp. 146–147

Del Bonita School — captioned 1937

Del Bonita School, a wooden schoolhouse with a row of tall windows and steps leading to its doorway.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 147. The book captions this photograph “Del Bonita School — 1937.” Full provenance.

Shanks Lake School · School and community history

1938: a United States customs port

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 7947 designating Del Bonita, Montana, as a customs port on August 9, 1938, effective thirty days later. Del Bonita, Montana, is the community at the American end of the crossing, in Glacier County. Federal Register, August 11, 1938, p. 1965 · The two Del Bonitas and the crossing

Fall 1938: school centralization begins

High school classes began meeting at Lens School. Gene Plunet drove high school pupils from Rinard and Del Bonita to Lens, and elementary pupils from Lens to Rinard. Heritage of the High Country, p. 160 · The schools and centralization

1939: the border road opens

The Del Bonita crossing opened with the completion of the highway in 1939, when the nearby Whiskey Gap crossing closed. Crossing history · Border crossing

The first Canadian customs office at Del Bonita, a wooden building with a covered entrance and Canada Customs sign, in 1939.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 202. First customs office at Del Bonita — 1939. Full provenance.

1940: Del Bonita Centralized School

Del Bonita Centralized School, a long wooden building with tall windows, basement windows and a central entrance.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 160. Del Bonita Centralized School, 1940. Full provenance.

How the district schools came together

Around 1940: the first Del Bonita school buses

Early school buses parked in a row in front of the Del Bonita school.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 163. Around 1940, as dated by the curator. The book identifies these as the first school buses and names the drivers as Herm Hillmer Sr., Gene Plunet and Arvel Dustin. Full provenance.

1940–1978: Whiskey Gap station and grain elevators

Two men beside the Whiskey Gap railway station, with tracks and three grain elevators behind them.
Duel Secretan and Scotty Train at the station, also named in Heritage of the High Country, p. 46. Galt Museum & Archives, 19841071037. Catalogue date: 1940–1978. Source and provenance.

Duel (J. J.) Secretan and Scotty Train at the Canadian Pacific Railway station in Whiskey Gap. Galt lists the date range as 1940–1978 and describes the scene as circa 1978. The original photograph was owned by Robert and Olive Train of Magrath; the acquisition source was the Del Bonita Historical Society.

Two men beside the small Whiskey Gap station, with railway tracks and three grain elevators beyond.
Galt Museum & Archives / Prairie Towns. 1940–1978; Galt description: circa 1978. Source and provenance.

The same station scene is also preserved in a copy from Prairie Towns. Three grain elevators stand beyond the station. Explore Whiskey Gap’s history.

1940–1941: Twin River School

Twin River pupils gathered outside a schoolhouse, with a vehicle behind them.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 156. Twin River School pupils, 1940–1941. Full provenance.

Twin River was a separate district school. On September 1, 1941, it joined the centralized school at Del Bonita, also known as Lens, and its pupils began travelling there by school van. Heritage of the High Country, pp. 156 and 160 · The school history

1941: Celdar Collet’s store and post office

Celdar Collet’s store and post office, with a windmill and another small building nearby.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 63. Celdar Collet’s store and post office, 1941. Full provenance.

Celdar and Sadie Collet bought the Del Bonita Trading Co. from Thomas Wolsey in 1938 and operated its store and post office. Collet family account, Heritage of the High Country, p. 301 · Post-office history

1950: the post office and general store

By January 1950, Hubert (H. L.) West had purchased the Del Bonita Trading Company and become postmaster. The post office stayed at the same location. Lethbridge Herald, January 7, 1950, p. 5 · Post-office history

Del Bonita post office, 1950
Journal of Alberta Postal History, no. 26, p. 17. Photograph date: 1950. Source and provenance. The same photograph appears as “West’s General Store and Post Office — 1950” in Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 63: view the book copy · book-copy provenance.

Del Bonita post office and general store. Date supplied by the journal.

1950: the community hall

On August 26, 1950, the Lethbridge Herald published a farewell notice for Jim and Mrs. Woods, whose farewell took place in the schoolhouse’s community-hall section. It credited Jim Woods with more than thirty unpaid days finishing the school and hall during the previous winter, alongside Leon Weiss and other volunteers. Lethbridge Herald, p. 5

In December, Principal Hubert West directed the first school concert in the school’s community-hall section. Pupils in grades one and two performed square dances. Lethbridge Herald, December 27, 1950, p. 5 · School and community

1952: Del Bonita School

A large group of Del Bonita pupils and staff gathered in front of the school, with school vehicles beside it.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 163. Pupils and staff at Del Bonita School, 1952. Full provenance.

1953: the post office and grocery store

A street in Del Bonita with the post office and grocery store building.
The Lethbridge Herald. Galt Museum & Archives, 19752503023. Catalogue date: 27 July 1953. Source and provenance.

A Lethbridge Herald photograph dated July 27, 1953 shows the post office and grocery store beside the road. Photograph and provenance · Post-office history

1960: a new school

A new Del Bonita school was built in 1960 with six classrooms, a science and chemistry laboratory, and a gymnasium that the community helped provide. Heritage of the High Country, p. 161 · School and community history

1964: the Magrath–Del Bonita Highway

Three views of officials and a crowd at the highway ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Magrath–Del Bonita Highway opening. The Lethbridge Herald; Galt Museum & Archives, accession 19754016040. Catalogue date: July 27, 1964. Source and provenance.

A Lethbridge Herald photograph shows officials cutting the ribbon to open the Magrath–Del Bonita Highway. Galt dates it to July 27, 1964. Galt photograph record

1974: the border cairn

Uniformed Canadian and American officers standing beside a stone cairn.
Galt Museum & Archives, 19841071034. Catalogue date: 1974. Source and provenance.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police and American Border Patrol members attended the unveiling of a cairn commemorating a century of border patrol. Galt dates the photograph to 1974 and records its builders as Alva Bair and Lawrence Halmrast of Milk River. The original photograph belonged to Albert and Bernice Robinson of Del Bonita. Photograph and provenance

1979: John’s Hardware

John's Hardware with white siding, red window trim and a rusted tank outside.
Galt Museum & Archives, 199910805518. Catalogue date: 1979. Source and provenance.

A colour slide shows John’s Hardware in 1979, with white siding, red window trim and a rusted tank outside. Photograph and provenance

1979: the old Twin River schoolhouse

The weathered old Twin River schoolhouse, with its front door open and tall side windows.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 156. The old Twin River schoolhouse photographed in 1979; the building dates to 1914. Full provenance.

How Twin River became part of Del Bonita’s school history

1980: Del Bonita School

Del Bonita School in 1980, a long low building with a row of windows and a Canadian flag outside.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 169. Del Bonita School, 1980. Full provenance.

About 1980: Del Bonita school buses and drivers

School buses and drivers lined up in front of the Del Bonita School building.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 169. About 1980, as dated by the curator. The book names the drivers as Louis Secretan, Edgar Henry, Hubert West, Carl Jorgensen and Mick Barnett. Full provenance.

1980: the Canadian and United States ports

The Canadian customs building at Del Bonita, Alberta, with a covered inspection lane, in 1980.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 202. Canadian Port of Entry, customs at Del Bonita, Alberta, 1980. Full provenance.
The United States port of entry at Del Bonita, Montana, with a covered entrance and adjoining gabled building, in 1980.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), p. 203. United States Port of Entry, Del Bonita, Montana, 1980. Full provenance.

The history of the border crossing

1980: Del Bonita from the air

An aerial view looking north along Highway 62 through Del Bonita in 1980, with buildings, local roads and surrounding fields.
From Heritage of the High Country (Del Bonita Historical Society, 1981), unnumbered closing aerial spread. Del Bonita and vicinity, looking north over Highway 62, 1980. Courtesy Wayne Strong. Full provenance.

School and community history

1981: Heritage of the High Country

The Del Bonita Historical Society published Heritage of the High Country: A History of Del Bonita and Surrounding Districts in 1981. Library record · The history book

1988: the post office and general store

Del Bonita post office, 1988
Journal of Alberta Postal History, no. 26, p. 17. Photograph date: 1988. Source and provenance.

Del Bonita post office and general store. The caption identifies Betty Speirs at the door.

1995–2000: Del Bonita School closes

Del Bonita School closed between 1995 and 2000. By July 2000, pupils in every grade attended Magrath. School closure record · School and community

2007: Hoyt receives provincial designation

On August 30, 2007, the Hoyt Tipi Ring Site was designated a Provincial Historic Resource. Alberta register

2009: the Huey Gum Inn building

The tall wooden former inn at right, beside smaller storefronts along the road in Del Bonita.
John F. Novotny / Wikimedia Commons. 24 August 2009. Source and provenance.

The former restaurant and lodging building associated with Huey Gum, at right in Del Bonita, photographed in 2009.

2014: Canadian border inspection station

Canadian border inspection station at Del Bonita, with a drive-through lane and Canadian flag.
Oporto2 / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Photographer’s stated date: 26 January 2014. Complete image unchanged. Source and provenance.

The Canadian station at one of Alberta’s six road crossings into Montana. Del Bonita border crossing.

June 2016: the post office and general store

Del Bonita post office, 2016
Dale Speirs. Journal of Alberta Postal History, no. 26, p. 18. Photograph date: 2016. Source and provenance.

Del Bonita post office and general store. Date supplied by the journal.

Explore the archive · Del Bonita today · Add a memory or correction