In terms of the region, the earliest customs service began at Pendant d'Oreille in the early 1900s, where the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) collected duties and patrolled the border.

A customs office existed at Pinhorn 1913–1929 under the administrative oversight of the Port of Lethbridge, but retaining staff was a problem.

In the 1960s, the inspection function moved to the border site,[2] where the building was replaced by a red wooden structure in 1974.

Improvements included a connected heated inspection shed, separate relief quarters for temporary housing, and 100 yards of paved roadway.

[6] To compensate for minimal local activity, Whitlash is the central office for processing the documentation for all personal vehicle exports from Idaho and Montana.