A Map of Washington during its Boom Town days, c.1895
          (Click the map to Zoom in on Northeastern Washington)

          Click here for more Washington State maps

          Welcome to a part of Washington State that’s rich in history of the old west mining era, and so vividly retained in this rugged country we call Northeastern Washington.

          So you may be thinking, "Hey Jerry, are there really cactus in Washington?". Well, the answer is yes! Now they may not be of the variety that I have used on my website, which are usually associated with the southwestern U.S., but it is possible to view some other varieties of cactus scattered around Eastern Washington.

          I chose these graphics because many people imagine Washington as a rainy, cold place with lush rain forests, glaciated volcanoes and tall evergreens. A rugged part of the country occupied by latte drinking, aerospace and computer nerds (if these business giants coughed up sponsorship money maybe I’d actually mention some names, grin). While in fact, Washington is in many ways a place of two worlds.

          While much of Western Washington meets the above description pretty well, the "East Side" of the state is much different. Separated by the majestic Cascade Mountain Range, Eastern Washington is arid, warm and reminiscent of the "Wild, Wild West". Tumble weeds, canyons, coyote and free-range cattle pass you by as you drive the lonesome highways of the east. Stampedes, rodeos and other wild west traditions are still the way of life throughout much of this part of the country. So the next time you hear people talk about Washington State, remember us Cowboys!

          When gold fever struck the North American west during the late 1800's, the Okanogan and the Methow Valley shone as a middle link in a glittering, beckoning chain that stretched from California to Alaska.

          In 1849 a strike at Sutter’s Mill in the Sierras, kindled the spark. Ten years later the procession of gold-seekers trudged north through the Okanogan, headed for rumored riches in Canada’s Caribou country. Many looked for a likely lode along the way. But by the late 1890s the quest had led most prospectors farther north to the Yukon Territory.


          Some Okanogan stragglers succeeded, leading promoters to label this area as "El Daredo of the North." Hence, from 1896 until the national depression, gold business boomed in mountain towns like Ruby, Conconully, Barron, Loop Loop and Loomis.

          The Methow shared in the wealth. The search started easy here with stream panning and placer operations but soon got down to hard rock drilling and blasting.

          Chinese placer miners were among the earliest to try their luck along the lower Methow and Columbia Rivers around 1860. The "China Ditch," built from three miles upstream on the Methow, to today’s Pateros, trapped modest amounts of Methow gold.


          The rush up the valley may have begun in 1886 when word got out that Captain Joe White, a Methow Indian, discovered a big gold ledge on War Creek up the Twisp River.

          Squaw Creek, near the present town of Methow, and the Red Shirt Mine, not far from the historic town of Silver, wiped out in the 1894 flood, hosted the first lower valley booms. The ghost town of Gilbert, up Twisp River Valley, served a slew of miners during the 1890s.

          A bit later the Alder Mine sprang up just south of Twisp, and continued sporadic production until the 1950s, turning out a million dollars worth of metals in its lifetime.

          Extracting gold from the Methow’s rocky mountains was never easy. But miners seeking riches from the Slate Creek area high in the rugged North Cascades faced formidable challenges. This district was first discovered by west side prospectors working up the Skagit River, because that route was so daunting most elected to use the Methow access.


          Old abandoned boom town sites such as these still remain today in Northeastern Washington, with lots of old relics yet to be unearthed.


          Long deserted miner's cabin

          Alex Barron arrived there first in 1893, discovering a glory hole which spawned a roaring boom town, bearing his name, near the Cascade summit. Supplying this hungry camp proved a boom for Winthrop and founder Guy Waring’s trading company.

          Two years later Colonel Thomas Hart bought an interest in Slate Creek mines and began building a narrow gauge (26 inches wide at one point) road into that district. Results of his hazardous project remain today as Hart’s Pass, at 6,200 feet the highest roadway in Washington. Infamous Dead Horse Point along the way marks the spot where an entire pack string of horses plunged off the cliff.

          Brothers Charles and Hazard Ballard took over Hart’s task, widened the road slightly, and eventually became involved with the Mammoth Mine and the Azurite Mine, which continued operating through the 1930s.


          Today nothing but some tailings and a few decayed buildings survive where once feverish activity flourished. Thousands of claims remain from Pateros to Hart’s Pass, but almost none are being worked. "No one really got rich from mining here, but the glitter of gold is what first brought folks Northeastern Washington." The gold fever subsided here as it broke out elsewhere. In 1897-98 the stampeders headed for the Klondike. At one point the town of Barron nearly emptied overnight. Alex Barron himself headed north.

          Interested in the History Of The Native American People Of Northeastern Washington Region? Click Here!