Formerly called "East Poplar River", the Coronach border station was established in 1914 under the administrative oversight of the Port of Moose Jaw. In 1917/18, a combined residence and customs office was erected.[1] The Canadian border station was upgraded in 1958, 1981 and 2014.[citation needed]
US side
Scobey MT border station as seen in 1937.
In 1924, a border patrol station was established as a sub-office with Plentywood Station. In 1937, an inspection station at the Canadian border was established. This facility was reconstructed in the late 1970s. In 2007, a new facility was constructed that supports both CBP and Border Patrol.[2]
In 2019, the new hours of 9am to 7pm year round were a reduction from 13 hours a day to 10.[3][4]
Biometric System
Traveler using the speaker recognition system to enter the US at Scobey Montana in 1996.
In 1996, this border crossing became the world's first fully automated port of entry, using biometrics to confirm the identity of travelers.[5] The US and Canadian governments engaged in a cooperative prototype project to enable certain trusted individuals with nothing to declare to cross the border in either direction after the port had closed for the night. Local residents who were enrolled could use a speaker recognition system to open the gates and enter the country without inspection.[6] This system was replaced with a Remote Video Inspection System in 1998, which was decommissioned after the September 11 attacks of 2001.[7]
