Okanogan County, Washington - Chapter 6: Cities and Towns - Continui, 1904

Riverside

Riverside is located on the west bank of the Okanogan river, at the mouth of Johnson creek, eighteen miles east of the county seat and forty-five miles above Brewster. Though only a few years old the town has a population of about 200 people, and is gaining rapidly. The buildings of Riverside are all new and substantially constructed.

Many years previous to the settlement of the town Uriah Ward located on the land now occupied by the present town site. Subsequently John Kendall secured a patent to this land, but it was not until September 5, 1902, that the townsite, comprising one hundred and sixty acres, w^as platted by James E. Forde. Forty acres additional were recently deeded by the Riverside Townsite Company.

In 1898 F. J. Cummings, colloquially known as "Pard" Cummings, established a store about half a mile above the present town. Forde & Ellis built a warehouse near this store. Later both buildings were removed to the present town and Forde & Ellis opened a second store. In 1900 the postofifice was established and Kate Edwards became postmistress, which position she still holds. There are at present in Riverside two stores, two warehouses, two saloons, one hotel, one restaurant, one blacksmith shop and two lawyers. At this point there is a ferry across the Okanogan river. AIcLauthlin rapids, just above the town, make Riverside the terminal of navigation up the river from Brewster. It is also the "hub" and supply point for the north half of Okanogan county, and the outfitting point for the "South Half" of the Colville reservation. The amount

So early as 1897 an attempt was made to establish a town at this site to be known as Okanogan City. Quite a spirited movement was made in this direction, but the scheme was abandoned almost at its inception. June 18, 1897, the Palmer Mountain Prospector said of this progressive town :

"A new town is springing up in the county of which but little has been said and not a great deal known even by those living within a radius of a few miles. The fledgling that is gradually coming into existence without blare of trumpets, an elaborate blue print plat, and a gilt-edged prospectus that promises abundant riches to every lot hivestor, is to be known upon the maps as Okanogan City, and is located at the junction of Johnson Creek with the Okanogan river, the highest point of navigation reached by the steamer Ellensburg. A Seattle syndicate is back of the enterprise, and is furnishing the capital for the first buildings in the place. The townsite is all that could be desired so far as topography is concerned, and well chosen as a central point in the upper part of the county. There is no good reason - with the opening up of surrounding mines, light craft navigation of the river and the occupancy of the agricultural lands in the valley - why Okanogan City should not in time become quite a flourishing place. Carpenters are now busy on the town site putting up the first structures that are to be the nucleus about which is to spring into existence the future metropolis. The improvements under way are a large, twostor}^ hotel, which is to be complete in all its appointments ; a building in w-hich is to be placed general merchandise; another structure where the interior of man may be irrigated with such fluids as may suit the fancy, and a livery stable. This combination meets the wants of the traveling public, and as the demand grows for accommodation the saw and hammer will supply the required slielter. Some of the material for the edifices in hand was shipped from the west coast, but most of the lumber and trimmings were procured from local mill men. The amount of labor required and the number of mechanics necessary to do it has the effect of causing a pretty lively stir about the landing. For the good of the country as a whole, and as a recompense to the enterprising projectors behind it, we trust Okanogan City will flourish and growapace."

At Riverside the Okanogan river reached its highest point in years in June, 1903. On Main street people frequently went riding in skififs, and there was a sui^cient stage of water to enable steamboats to land at the rear of the Glenwood Mercantile Company's store. Still, in the face of all this threatened disaster, only one building was vacated in the town, that being the Columbia & Okanogan warehouse. The town is the principal wool shiping point in the county, shipments from this point running up into the hundreds of thousands of pounds annually.

Saturday, August 15, 1903, a special meeting was held for the purpose of voting $1,500 in bonds to build a school building. The vote resulted 37 to 8 in favor of the bonds. The new edifice was erected and is considered one of the finest in the county, and the course of instruction is under a competent corps of teachers. The clerk of the school district is J. D. Williams.

Riverside is ambitious. Its citizens confidently expect to secure the location of the county seat within its limits at an early date. The Great Northern Railway Company has had a sur\-ey made for a branch line from Wenatchee along the Columbia and Okanogan ri\- ers to tap the valley of the latter stream. Government engineers have run a survey for an irrigation canal which, considered as a definite underetaking, will irrigate thousands of acres of land in the territory tributary to Riverside.

Oroville, or as the name is commonly abbreviated, "Oro," is a town of thirty or forty inhabitants situated at the confluence of the Okanogan and Similkameen rivers in northern Okanogan county. Surrounding the town is a rich agricultural country, and the products of the many farms which are located in the valleys and on the hillsides, find a ready market in the town of Oroville. Twenty-five thousand bushels of wheat are raised annually in the immediate vicinity, and as yet only a small per cent, of the rich land is cultivated.

It was due to the fertility of the land that the section of the country around Oroville was one of the earliest settled in the country. In the fall of 1873 Alexander McCauley, who still resides here, came to this country and settled on his ranch within one mile of the present townsite. He was the only white man within a radius of many miles. Being a friend of Chief Moses, who then claimed jurisdiction over the whole of the Okanogan country, Mr. McCauley was allowed to remain in peaceful possession of his land. A couple of years later a few stockmen commenced driving their herds here in the summer. In the course of time other white men came to the country and settled on land.

In July, 1 89 1, there were quite a number of them in the valley and Robert Allison brought over a stock of goods from the then flourishing mining camp of Loomis, and established a store. A postofifice was soon secured and a small town began to make its appearance. On June 30 of the following year the town was platted by the Oro Town and Improvement Company. The town continued to grow and several other business enterprises were established.

Thursday night, November 22, 1900, Oroville was visited by a disastrous fire, the general store of the Oroville Trading Comany being completely destroyed, causing a loss on stock and building of $15,000. The postoflice was in the same building- and the contents were destroyed. Prospects are favorable for Oroville to become one of the most prosperous towns in the county. An enterprise that is under way at the present time is the installation of a power plant at the Similkameen falls, a few miles above the town, by the Similkameen Falls Power & Development Company, to be used in developing the company's mines, and also to furnish electric lights for Oroville and other towns in the vicinity.

Oroville is connected with Loomis by daily stage, and with Chesaw by stage three times a week. The altitude of the townsite is only 913 feet above sea level, one of the lowest points in the county. Local blacksmiths have been experimenting with a pump for irrigating purposes, and lately they have perfected one that will irrigate twenty acres by carrying a stream from any source by means of two 18-inch pipes.

In the northeastern corner of Okanogan county, two mileS' northeast of Chesaw, and within sight of British Columbia, is Bolster, once the almost successful rival of Chesaw, now a practically deserted village. Being suituated on the Colville Indian reservation, prospectors and settlers were barred out until 1896. When the reservation was thrown open prospectors came to this district. Those who staked claims in the immediate vicinity of Bolster were James McEachen, John McNeil, P. H. Pingston, George Tindall and John Schaffer.

Most of these prospectors and others who came later erected their cabins on the spot where the town was afterward located, and by the spring of 1898 there was quite a settlement. At that time William Hamilton, who is now in business in Chesaw, took a small stock of goods to the new camp and opened a store. He was very successful in this enterprise and for a year his was the only business house in town. With the opening of the spring of

1899 Bolster enjoyed a "boom" and within a few months the new town had grown into a very enterprising and wide-awake place, threatening to outshine its neighbor, Chesaw. J. W. AIcBride early in the spring bought up several mining claims and platted the town. A. J. Nickle established the second store the same spring and later in the summer F. S. Evans opened another store. Two saloons were opened out, owned by Brassfield Brothers, and by Oliver Mickle, and the same year witnessed the establishment of a newspaper - the Bolster Drill - to herald abroad the virtues of the newtown.

Early in 1900 a Mr. McDonald, of Greenwood, British Columbia, erected a fine hotel building at a cost of $3,000 or $4,000. During these lively times about thirty houses had been erected in Bolster and the town boasted of a population of two or three hundred souls. In

1900 the "boom" collapsed. Chesaw had won out in its fight to be classed as the principal town in the Meyers Creek ]V:^ining District. In time all the business houses closed down and most of the business men removed to Chesaw.

At Bolster there is now a postoffice, a few families and a town full of vacant log cabins - all the buildings being of log except the hotel. There is a daily mail and stage to Chesaw.

Situated at an elevation of 3.460 feet above the level of the sea, less than a mile from the International Boundary line, and on the stage route between Chesaw and Oroville, eleven miles from the former, and seventeen from the latter town, is the little hamlet of Molson, with a population at the present day of twenty-seven.

Molson was to have been a citv. George B. Mechem, pronnitur. c<incei\ed the idea. He had visited the country and found here a very fertile agricultural district which he saw would immediately be settled upon with the o]iening of the "Xiirth Half" of the reservation to homestead entry in 1900. Adjacent to the proposed site was a country rich in mineral deposits. Mr. Mechem decided to organize a company and establish a town which was to become a future metropolis. He succeeded in interesting Montreal capital and forming the Colville Reservation Syndicate, the officers of which were John W. Molson (after whom the new town was named) president; C. B. Greenshields, vice-president; D. E. Cameron, secretary and treasurer; and George B. Mechem, general manager. In the summer of 1900, immediately after the opening of the "North Half," Mr. Mechem, as manager of the company, began the construction of the town, and within a few months every building that has ever been put in Molson was erected. Fifty thousand dollars were spent by Mr. Mechem in erecting these structures, among othere a hotel building which cost $8,100, and which would be a credit to a town of several thousand inhabitants. The expectations of the promoters were being realized. Mr. Mechem continued to expend money lavishly and all descriptions of business enterprises made their appearance. Molson soon had a population of three hundred people.

The Chesaw Trading Company opened a general store in the town. A postoffice was established September 17, and Mr. C. A. Blatt, the hotel keeper, was made postmaster. Dr. J. B. Couch started a drug store. E. Peck, an attorney, located in the town. The Molson Magnet, with A. A. Batterson as editor, was launched on September 7. Other busines enterprises were a bakery, meat market, two lihcksmith shops, two restaurants, two boarding houses, four saloons, a hotel, livery stable, townsite and assay offices. The buildings which were erected by Mr. Macb.e.n were not sufficient to take care of the rush and a large part of the population made their homes a.nd conducted their business in tents. There is generally an explosion to "boom" towns, sooner or later, and the crash to Molson soon came. In less than a vear. or in Feliruarv,

1901, friction arose between ]\Ir. I\Iechem and tiie company, and improvements to the town were stopped. The company went into the hands of a receiver and its affairs were looked after by trustees. It is reported that Mechem was the heaviest loser in the deal. He, however, went to Texas during the oil excitement there, made a large fortune and is now a broker on Wall street. Residents of Molson state that Mr. Mechem intends to revisit the town and carry out his interrupted plans of building a city.

The hotel at Molson is still conducted by Mr. Blatt and a few other business enterprises are maintained in the town. The Pacific States Telephone Company has a station here. The Poland-China mine is the principal property adjacent to the town.

Loop Loop

"About eight miles south and slightly west of Conconully is the deserted village of Loop Loop, which was once the scene of more mining activity than any other spot in Okanogan. ]\Iillionaires were produced there in minutes, in comparison to the slow and tedious process of the trust or 'combine.' A man with a piece of reck and an assay certificate was in the mining swim, and a man who had a ten-foot shaft with good showing of ore could talk about nothing smaller than millions whenever the subject of price and 'values' was approached. That was fifteen years ago, and Loop Loop, which lies only a couple of miles over the hill and west of the Ruby townsite, was a flourishing town because it was 'where the mines were.' As Loop Loop City it w'as the first town in Okanogan to be platted, August 14, 1888, by W. P. Keady and S. F. Chadwick. It had a merchandise store or two and a full complement of saloons and eating houses, where now the principal thing to attract the eye is ruin. Depreciation in silver marked the immediate downfall of the town. The ores were silver. The miners were unanimous in the opinion that silver mining was impossible; the one large company operating there quit ; the miners left and rapidly the lights were extinguished in the place.

"From 1893, when the sound of hammers and drills ceased, until a couple of years ago, scarcely anything was done to break the silence that had followed the feverish excitement of a few years previous. The worst to be feared was that some one would invade the town and take away a building or some personal belonging - some by purchase and some with a leaning toward kleptomania. There was one property mining in the prosperous days - the First Thought. From Loop Loop a gra\-it}- tram had been constructed to a reduction plant at Ruby, for conveyance of ores. Even this plant did not escape attack, and the wire cable was cut up and taken away while the tram equipment at the ore bins had been torn to pieces for the bolts that it contained. Up to the election of 1896 a voting precinct had been located at Loop Loop, but at a meeting of the commissioners, August 4, 1896, the precinct, once one of the most prosperous in the county, was abandoned because of insufficient population and the territory annexed to Ruby precinct. For the past two years, however, a new interest has been taken in mining matters in the Loop Loop vicinity, and there is a possibility that some day it will become, instead of the golconda of dreamland, the center of a healthy and legitimate mining industry."

The records of Okanogan county show no original platting of the town of Ruby. They do show, however, that on January 6, 1891, ]\Iineral Survey No. 67 was added to the town of Ruby by the Ruby Land Comiaan}-, through its president, W. J. Dorwin.

in Okanogan county, the principal cause of which was the sudden depreciation in the price of silver. Among these is Ruby. Their histories live only in the memories of old timers. Other towns now classed as "deserted" met their doom shortly after their founding, because the mines which were the cause of their upbuilding did not prove to be so rich in precious metals as had been expected. Today only a handful of ruins marks the spot where once flourished the most important town in Okanogan county. Ruby, or as it was called previous to incorporation. Ruby City, came into existence in the late 8o's. Rich discoveries of silver ore were made in the Okanogan country ; prospectors and miners flocked thither in large numbers. Seven miles southeast of Conconully was started the town of Ruby: within a brief period it had become one of the liveliest and best known mining camps in the northwest. For a quarter of a mile on each side of a single graded street it was built up solidly. Nearly every branch of trade was engaged in by an exceedingly busy population. With the formation of Okanogan county, in March, 1888, Ruby became the temporary county seat. This honor it continued to hold until February 9, 1899. when the voters decided to make Conconully the capital of the county, at the November election of that year.

A large force of men was employed at Ruby during the "good old times." The mines were located on the high ridge that rises abruptly from the town on the south. Those who were not miners found employment in \arious pursuits, and Ruby gained a population of several hundred people. A finely equipped and e.xpensive concentrator was built one-half mile east of the town, and a wire tram constructed from the mill to the mines, quite a distance away. The citizens of Ruby decided to incorporate in 1890. August 4 a petition was presented to the commissioners asking for the privilege to vote on the question. It was proposed to include about C>ii acres within the incorporate limits. The commissioners granted the petition and called a special election for August 19, but later this date was changed to Saturday, August 23. W. W. Weeks was named inspector of the election and T. D. Fuller and E. C. Lathrop, judges. The proposition for incorporation was carried, and Ruby became a town of the 4th class, the only town in Okanogan county that has attained to the dignity of incorporation. Ofiicers elected to serve the first year were George J. Hurley, mayor; W. J. Dorwin, J. W. Jewett, C. H. Lovejoy, and C. F. Webb, councilnien ; S. Lichtenstadter, treasurer.

The price of silver fell in the fall of 1892. To continue working the mines would be unprofitable; they were closed down. People moved away, leaving vacant houses unprotected; the once flourishing town was depopulated. For some time the scores of dwellings and business houses remained solitary and empty, sad reminders of a town that had seen better days. Then came vandals who stripped the houses of all that could be carried away. Buildings, fences and sidewalks fell into decay and the city presented a decidelly delapidated appearance. About four years ago fire destroyed three-fourths of what remained of Ruby. A few buildings, riddled and tottering, still stand - monuments to mark the spot where stood the town.

Adjacent to the old town are a number of claims, such as the First Thought. Fourth of July and the Ruby, and it is not without the range of possibilities that some day a new. will make its appearance on the site of the old. Ruby.

Nighthawk

This is the name of a postoffice and small town located <in the Similkameen river, about one and nne-half miles from the International Boundary line, twelve anil one-half miles due north of Loomis, and immediately adjoining

When development was l>egun on the Nighthawk mine in 1899, the town came into being and a general store was opened by the Nighthawk Mercantile Company, whose members were William T. and Charles T. Peterson. A postoffice was established the same year and Charles T. Peterson became postmaster. In the spring of 1903 the firm sold their interests to the Charles A. Andrus Company, who now conduct the store. Other business enterprises now on foot in Nighthawk are a saloon, conducted by M. W. Barry, an assay office by the Nighthawk Mining Company, under the supervision of the manager, Myron J. Church, and a boarding house. A telephone system is in operation connecting the office of the Nighthawk Mining Company, the store, the Six Eagles mine, the Golden Zone mill, the Ruby mine, with the other portions of the state, via Oroville.

At present Nighthawk has a population of about fifty people and is already a lively and flourishing town. The townsite, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres of beautiful land adjoining the mine, has been platted by the Nighthawk Realty Company, of which Myron J. Church is president, William T. Peterson, vice-president, and Charles T. Peterson, secretary and treasurer. It is an ideal spot for a town, on the bank of a river that is shaded by a luxuriant growth of pines, birch and other trees, in a delightful climate, at an elevation of 1. 1 84 feet and surrounded by a country admirably adapted to mining, stock raising, agriculture and fruit growing. The Similkameen river, which is from 280 to 300 feet wide at this point, is fed by mountain streams and the water is clear, pure and cold as ice. The town itself is supplied with water from flowing springs just above the camp. The Vancouver, Victoria & Eastern Railroad, now in progress of construction, is surveyed right through the town of Nighthawk.

At the junction of the Okanogan and Columbia rivers is located the thriving town of Brewster. The first attempt to build a town in this vicinity was made in 1892. It was named Swansea, and was about two and onehalf miles from the confluence of the two rivers. This location was eligible and the town would have been successful had it not been for the fact that great financial depression ensued during the years 1893-4.

Swansea was a great attraction - on paper. Charles Ballard, a skillful draughtsman and engineer produced the plat of the proposed city, which was recorded in 1892. Practically nothing was done toward building up the town of Swansea with the exception of the sale of a number of lots, regardless of the fact that the walls of nearly all the real estate offices in the country were decorated with blue prints descriptive of its attractions. Streets, alleys and parks were profusely laid out, wharves of great capacity for rail and steamboat traffic covered the water front; the great Columbia was dotted with steamboats hastening to unload freight and passengers at the docks. To the brain that conceived and the hand that executed this work too much praise cannot be accorded. Of course, all this was conducive to the sale of quite a large amount of real estate. But owing to disagreement between two partners interested in the project the enterprise of building up the town of Swansea was abandoned.

Yet while this might be termed a pronounced failure the head of navigation of the Columbia river was not long to remain without a townsite. Prior to 1893 the line of steamboats that navigated the northern part of the Columbia had their landing on the south bank of the river, in Douglas county, the place being known as Port Columbia. The company operating the steamboats owned, also, the ferries crossing both the Columbia and Okanogan rivers, and the object of having the landing on

July lo, 1893, the town of Virginia City, located about one-half mile south of the present town of Brewster, and which today consists of a single house and a barn, was platted, the propectors of this enterprise being "Virginia Bill" Co\-ington and Francis Green. "Virginia BIT" was a Virginian, and quite a prominent character in that country. He was one of the pioneers of the Okanogan district, having gone there in the early 6o's. Virginia City at once became the port for the steamers of the upper Columbia and a small settlement came into existence which continued to flourish until 1896. At that period a change was made in the proprietorship of the steamboat line, and the incoming management decided to build a new town and change the place of landing. Negotiations were entered into with John Bruster, who owned a homestead about half a mile above Virginia City, with the result that onehalf of the land was deeded to the steamboat company and the town of Bnistcr (later spelled Brewster) came into existence. The original townsite was platted by John Bruster, April 10. 1896. April 22, 1901, the first addition to the town was platted and lots thrown on the market by Mr. Bruster. To Virginia City the platting of Bruster was the death knell. Its disappearance from the map was a matter of but a short time. Nearly all of the buildings there werf removed bodily to the new town.

March 25, 1898, the postoffice of Brewster was established. Although the name of the townsite was Bruster the postal authorities insisted on naming the ofifice Brewster, and this fact necessitated the changing of the original name of the town. At this period there were three postoffices within one mile of each other in this locality, Brewster, Virginia City and Toqua, the latter just across the river in Douglas county. Mr. D. L. Gillespie was made

Saturday, August 8, 1903. the principal business section of Brewster was destroyed by fire. It is stated that this causualty originated from a lighted cigarette, breaking out in Mc- Kinley's drug store. Despite the heroic efforts of the citizens and the use of innumerable socalled fire extinguishers the flames gained rapidly, and in a short time three-fourths of the town was wrapped in flames. Following is a list of the prominent losers, with insurance :

Tony Anderson, of the firm of Anderson & Company, loss, $10,000 with $5,000 insurance ; Mrs. Crout, general merchandise. $4,000 with $800 insurance ; Dr. McKinley, drug store $3,000, no insurance; Tumwater saloon, $2,- 500, no insurance; Wilson's harness shop, $1,500, insurance $500. Aside from these the following were losers with no insurance : Lee's boiler shop ; Watson's blacksmith shop ; Watson's dwelling; Red Men's Hall; Brewster saloon; Ford's barber shop; Nolan's warehouse; Mrs. Grout's lunch counter; blacksmith shop; three ice houses and several other small buildings. The aggregate loss was about $40,000 with insurance of $6,300. Not over one hundred dollars' worth of goods or furniture was saved from the various buildings in the burned district. The telephone office was attacked and connections cut off for a few hours, but this damage was soon repaired by linemen. During the battle with the flames several persons were seriously injured but no lives were lost. Among those injured were Milard Stevens, badly burned about the shoulders and hands; A. G. Gallespie. both hands burned ; David Gallispie, severe cut in neck by glass ; Dr. Mc- Kinley, scalp wound from falling glass. The only business houses remaining standing were the hotel, Gallispie's store and Bassett's barn. So rapidly did the fire gain heacFSvay, owing to the dry materials composing the houses, that many people escaped with only a portion of their clothing. From the surrounding country men came quickly to the aid of the fire-lighters, but they were unable to render much assistance. Twenty-two buildings were destroyed, the greater portion of which have been replaced.

Brewster is situated on the right bank of the Columbia river, in the southern portion of Okajiogan county, and at the head of steamboat navigation. It is the river port for all of the freight intended for the upper Okanogan country and the Methow valley, which freight is taken thence in large four, six and eight-horse teams. Practically it is the freighting center of a fine agricultural district and mining belt.

Brewster is provided with an excellent school, and Rev. A. J. Ross is pastor of a church established in 1900. Its fraternal societies comprise the Improved Order of Red Men and Woodmen of the World.

Within the confines of the rich Methow valley, which extends along the southwestern part of Okanogan county, are a number of small towns, and chief among these is Twisp. While it is one of the newest of these minature municipalities Twisp has outstripped all of its rivals so far as regards size and importance, and now has a population of alxiut 125 people. Handsomely located, about 1,600 feet above sea level, it is an ideal spot in which to live, the climate being invigorating and healthful. It is rapidly coming to the front as one of the important towns of Okanogan county.

The Methow Valley was the scene of a great mining excitement in 1893-4, but the upper country was not settled to any considerable extent until 1897. H. C. Glover homesteaded the land where Twisp now stands and July 30, 1897, he laid out and platted a townsite which he called Gloversville. That same year O. W. Benson established a small store in the new town. A postoffice was installed shortly afterward and James Colwell became the first postmaster. June 29, 1899, Amanda P. Burgar platted the townsite of Twisp and thereafter the town was recognized by that name. In 1 90 1 Burgar's First Addition to Twisp was platted, but the town did not increase to any appreciable extent for some years after its birth. But during the past few years the growth has been remarkable, and it is now ranked as one of the leading towns of the county.

The only experience Twisp has had with fire was in 1901, when the hotel was destroyed, entailing a loss of $1,500 with no insurance. During the spring and summer of 1903 Twisp made rapid advances in the opening of newbusiness enterprises and the erection of buildings, as a result of the increasing development in the Methow Valley. In the space of one year the town doubled in size. Twisp derives its trade principally from adjoining agricultural districts, but there are a number of mining properties in the vicinity which greatly benefit the town. Among these are the Spokane, Alder Group and the Humbolt. Twisp is connected with the Pacific States long distance telephone and also with a barb-wire telephone to the country districts. There is a daily stage between Twisp and Brewster. There is a good school house in which 75 scholars are enrolled. A Methodist church is also located here. Fraternal orders are represented by the Foresters of America and the Woodmen of the World. Following are the business enterprises in the town:

Methow Trading Company, Burke Brothers, William Magee and James Colwell, general stores; Dr. J. B. Couch, drug store; George M. Witte and Ferguson Brothers, butcher shops; J. A. Risley and O. M. Yaw, livery barns ; a hotel, lx)arding house, two restaurants, a blacksmith shop. Commercial Bank, E. F. Magee, cashier, a real estate office, newspaper, the Methoii' Valley Nczcs. by H. E. Marble, a barber shop and two saloons. A state fish hatchery is located here and recently a fine

Methow postoffice was established in 1894 and was named after Methow river. E. J. Davis was the first postmaster. July 27, 1894, the town had three stores and a restaurant. Mr. Thomas Madden, a sawmill man from Loop Loop, placed a boiler and mill machinery between Squaw Creek and the mouth of the Methow, and supplied lumber for building purposes to the residents of Alethow. J. Esmond was the pioneer merchant of the place. Methow is an Indian word signifying "sunflower seeds." Originally the name of the town was Squaw Creek. In June, 1894, a miners' meeting was held in a store and a townsite laid out which was afterward surveyed and platted. At this meeting the name Methow was selected for the new burgh. It was voted that the road from the mouth of Squaw Creek to the mines be finished at once and each man present signed a paper pledging three day's work or more. The same year Clarence Howland established a weekly stage line from Chelan to Methow. Of the new town Thomas Madden said, in August, 1894:

"There are between 250 and 300 men in camp and every one of them is at work doing something. It reminds me of Leadville when I saw it first, and I am inclined to think we have a camp over there that will astonish the natives when we get it opened up. The miners are industriously prospecting and developing their claims, and there is, also, quite a building boom in the town recently laid out there by the miners. There are four general stores doing a rushing business and A. F. Nichols of Chelan, has about completed arra«gements for entering this business. There are two hotels, a restaurant, saloon, livery stable, meat market, and blacksmith shop, and parties are on the ground ready .to enter these and other lines of business so soon as they can get material to build with. We have our mill in working order now and are turning out lumber to the tune of about ten thousand feet a day."

Following the "boom" days of 1894 ]\Iethow suffered a relapse. Yet it was but one of a long chain of once flourishing towns which suffered during the ye^rs of depression beginning in 1893. In Methow there are now one general store, W. A. Bolinger proprietor, a good school and hall and a lodge of the Woodmen of the World. The town has a population of about thirty souls.

Other Towns

J Bodie is the name of a little mining camp on the Republic-Chesaw stage road, twentyfive miles northwest of the former place. B?- die came into existence shortly after the opening of the "North Half" of the Colville Indian reservation to mineral entry, and was the result of the discovery and subsequent working of the Bodie mine. The original town of Bodie was located about one mile south of the mine, but in 1903 a new town was started up at the mine and it promises in time to do awa}- with the old town which, however, still has a number of business houses. A new $20,000 mill for the treatment of the ores of the Bodie mine has been erected there.

Nespelem is a postofifice in the southeastern part of the county on the "South Half" of the reservation. It is forty-five miles northwest of Wilbur and sixty-five miles southeast of Conconully.

Alma is in the midst of a 50,000 acre tract of magnificent horticultural and agricultural land, the largest area of this description in the county. \^arious ores have already been uncovered in the immediate vicinity of Alma, and the town is surrounded by a large area of pine timber. The topography of the country is such that a distance of a mile only may make a difference of several degrees in the temperature. The men who have been foremost in the rapid development of Alma and vicinity are J. W. O'Keefe, W. S. Bennett, W. R. Kahlow, Judson Murray, Daniel Davidson, G. K. Chitwood, and Eugene Wehe. Quite a remarkable character in Alma is W. R. Kahlow, a former friend and associate of President James J. Hill, of the Great Northern Railroad Company, and Alexander Griggs, during their days on the Mississippi river. Mr. Griggs became the original navigator on the upper Columbia river, and before his death in the winter of 1902-3, owned seven boats. A prominent part was assumed by Mr. Kahlow in the construction of several transcontinental railroads. In February, 1892, the large general merchandise store of F. J. Cummins, of Alma, was destroyed by fire. It was while Mr. Cummins was at breakfast that the flames broke out, and before he could reach the store they had gained such headway that it was impossible to save anything. The loss exceeded $5,000.

Winthrop is a little town at the upper end of the Methow valley nine miles northwest of Twisp. It is located at the junction of the north and south forks of the Methow river, and here the valley widens out to its broadest. Its elevation is about 2,000 feet above the level of the sea. The townsite was patented January 4, 1 90 1, by the Methow Trading Company, of which Guy Waring is president. At Winthrop this company has the finest store in the Methow Valley. Other business enterprises in the town are a hotel, feed stable, blacksmith shop and two saloons. Within a quarter of a mile of Winthrop a townsite called Heckendorn has recently been platted by D. E. Heckendorn.

Winthrop was settled September 26. 1891, by Guy Waring, who opened a store there, at that period the only store in the Methow Valley. The town was named by the then terri- torial delegate to Congress, John L. Wilson, who can not now remember how he happened to select this name. The postoffice to which this name was given was one and one-half miles below Winthrop, which office was mo\ed to the store of Guy Waring, who was made postmaster. March i, 1893, all the buildings in Winthrop except a shed or a "root cellar" were destroyed by fire, a total loss with no insurance. Guy Waring was then obliged to go away and work for three years, and the business was rebuilt by E. F. Johnson, now secretary of the Methow Trading Company, the successor of the original business enterprise at Winthrop. In 1894 the great flood carried away the bridge over the north fork at Winthrop. In 1895 this bridge was replaced by Colonel Hart on his march to Slate Creek. The industry of Winthrop consists of a wellequipped saw mill and several important dairying interests near by, raising cattle and supplying the mines with goods.

In making the trip from Republic to Chesaw one passes through a deserted town of log buildings. There is one street on both sides of which are substantial log structures, but not not a living soul is to be seen in the town. This is a few miles south of Bodie and it is the remains of what was once the flourishing little mining camp of Toroda. To this point, shortly after the opening of the reservation there was a stampede to what was supposed to be an exceedingly rich mining district. - People flocked in and all kinds of business enterprises flourished. The mines did not prove to be so rich as anticipated and the town of Toroda was deserted.

Tonasket is a postoffice on the Okanogan river and Tonasket creek, about midway between Oroville and Riverside. There are a number of business enterprises here all under the control of W. W. Parry.

tlie opening of the reservation to mineral entry a rich strike was made here with the result of a flourishing camp. But the excitement diminished and so did Wauconda in equal proportion. The present postoffice is located about four miles from the mine, where was formerly situated the mining camp. It is on the Republic- Chesaw stage road, and it is also connected by stage with Loomis.

Thirty miles northwest of Twisp is the new town of Robinson, situated on Robinson creek. This is the point of departure for the famous Slate Creek mines, just over the divide in ^\'hatcom county, and here quite a lively town has sprung into existence. The Methow Trading Company has established a store here, and also has the postoffice. A hotel and saloon are conducted by Richardson & Kearns. Robinson is connected by stage with the outside world, the trip being made twice a week in summer and weekly during the winter months.

Malott is a postoffice on the Okanogan river, twenty-three miles southeast of Conconully. It is on the Brewster and Conconully stage road, and is the transfer office for mail for many of the postoffices in the vicinity. It has a daily stage with Brewster, Conconully and Riverside.

Fifteen miles due north of Brewster and a short distance west of the Okanogan river, is Olema postoffice, named after a town in California. Sixteen years ago S. H. Mason, who still resides at Olema, and is the postmaster, squatted on land here, and later when surveys -were completed homesteaded the property. Other settlers came in later and in 1896 the postoffice was established, Charles C. McFarlane being made postmaster. After he had served three years Mr. Mason was appointed and has since held the position. Surrounding Olema is a fine grazing country and also a great quantity of excellent timber land. There are at present eleven families in this vicinity, which is one of the most prosperous in the country. The experience of each one of these

Ophir is a postoffice on the Okanogan river, eleven miles above Brewster. It has a daily mail, being on the Brewster and Conconully stage route.

Synarep is a postoffice on Tunk creek, a tributary of the Okanogan river, which flows into it about four miles north of Riverside. The valley through which this stream courses is about twelve miles long and from two to eight miles wide. This valley was first settled in 1900, and there are now 125 settlers. The soil is very productive and the mountain slopes furnish an excellent range for cattle. Synarep is about 3,000 feet above the level of the sea. The town has the advantages of a general merchandise store.

A few miles northwest of Winthrop. in the Methow Valley, is the Mazama postoffice, situated at the junction of Goat Creek and the Methow river. Formerly the place was known as Goat Creek, but a compound word being objected to by the Washington postal authorities, when the postoffice was established, in 1900. the place was named Mazama - the Greek word for "goat." Mrs. Minnie Tingley was the first postmistress. Mazama is a gold mining camp, the principal mines being the T. & B.. Oriental and Crown Point. In 1902 a mill was built here to treat the ores and recently many thousand dollars' worth of development work has been done. There are now about thirty permanent settlers in the camp.

Wehesville is the name of a postoffice on the Oroville and Loomis stage line, nine miles northeast of the latter place. The postoffice is at the south end of \\'annicut Lake. It was established in 1900 and Major F. P. Wehe was made postmaster.

postoffice, store, restaurant, saloon and other business enterprises. But it was the old, old story. Capital was lavishly expended in the construction of two mills to treat the ores of the Triune and Spokane, and people flocked in and built a small town. It was discovered that the mills could not properly treat the ores and they were closed down. The people moved away and Golden became a memory.

Kipling is a town of about twenty-five inhabitants, situated in northeastern Okanogan county, a few miles southwest of Chesaw. October 10, 1900, the townsite was surveyed and on the same day the Kipling Mercantile Company was established. October 11, 1901, Kipling was granted a postofifice and Georgonna Warren was appointed postmaster. The town is surrounded by an exceedingly fertile agricultural country.

Knowlton is a postoffice a short distance below Brewster, on the Columbia river. The postoffice was established July 21, 1902, on the ranch of Arthur R. Knowlton, and that gentleman was made postmaster. A school house is located at this point.

Omak is the name of a postoffice located on Omak lake, on the Colville Indian reservation. The office was established in January, 1903. Here is located St. Mary's Mission, mention of which has been made in a previous chapter. On "Meeting Days" Omak is visited by whites and Indians for miles around, who gather for worship. Father E. de Rouge, who has charge of the mission states that on these meeting days three to four hundred Indians and about fifty white people gather here.

Silver is a little hamlet situated on the Brewster-Twisp road, twenty-five miles above the former town and five miles below the latter. It is on the Methow river, about three-quarters of a mile from where Beaver creek joins the river. Silver is one of the earliest settled communities in the county. The postoffice was established in 1890, and James M. Byrnes was the first postmaster. Previous to this time the people who resided in the vicinity clubbed together and paid a man to carry the mail to and from Ruby, then the nearest postoffice. The site upon which the town was afterward located was taken up by "Chichaman" Stone. This later passed into the hands of James M. Byrnes, who imparted the first impetus to the new town. He owned the site until 1902, when it was purchased by E. N. Garrison, of Dundee, Illinois. Since 1889 there has been a store at Silver, Mr. Byrnes opening one in that year. In 1890 he disposed of his business interests to Robert Partell, who continued the enterprise until the fall of 1892, when he, in turn, sold the store to Robert Ehman. The latter conducted the business until a short time before his death, which occurred August 3, 1897. The store went into the hands of a receiver before Mr. Ehman's death, and was conducted by E. G. Payne until his decease in September of the same year. F. F. Goodson then carried on the enterprise a few months, when it passed into the hands of M. R. Kinlgside. June 19, 1899, Burke Brothers purchased the store and have since conducted the business. In 1894 the town of Silver did not escape the disasters from floods which visited so many towns along the Columbia river and its tributaries. The Methow rose above its banks and all but wiped out the flourishing little town. The store building was carried away by the seething flood, as was also a large dance hall and saloon, the property of R. Greigor. The goods in the store and the household furniture in the home of Mr. Byrnes were saved only by the persistent efforts of the people of the community. Mr. Ehman, who was the proprietor of the store, erected a new building on the bench, about twenty-five feet higher than the old location, and the town is now safe from the fury of the waters. Silver today is a town of only fifteen or twenty inhabitants, with Burke Brothers' store the only business enterprise. About forty families live in the immediate vicinity. There is a school at Silver accommodating about twenty scholars.