Amelia “Amy” Trice, a member of the Kootenai Tribe, was born in Bonner’s Ferry. At the age of 20 she was elected Secretary of the Tribal Council before serving as Tribal Chairwoman. Idaho’s Kootenai had not signed a treaty with the US government and consequently had no reservation land. By the early 1970s, the Tribe had dwindled to 67 members living in extreme poverty.Unsuccessful in their appeals to the federal government, the Tribe sent a formal declaration of war to Washington on September 20, 1974. Trice led a nonviolent effort which included informational pickets along Highway 95 to collect 10 cent tolls. The “war” lasted only a few days, but it was effective. Amy led a delegation to Washington, D.C. and the Tribe acquired 12.5 acres of federal land, along with the promise of decent housing, infrastructure, a new road, and a tribal community center.In the decades since, the Kootenai established tribal businesses and became one of the largest employers in Boundary County.