In the 1890s, Winthrop was transferred from being a little known stopping off place to a bustling distribution point. Like most of Okanogan County towns in those days, mining activity was the fuse that ignited its growth. In 1891 Guy Waring established a trading post at the forks of the Methow and Chewuch Rivers.
Winthrop around 1899
Winthrop around 1908 or 1912
In the spring of 1868 placer gold had been discovered in the Slate Creek District. Although the placer discoveries drew hundreds of miners into the new district, it was the later discoveries of lode mines which kept them there. By the 1890s, with prospectors pouring into the region, mainly from Okanogan County, Winthrop gradually assumed the role of a staging point. When Colonel Tom Hart built a road 34 miles into The Slate Creek area, Winthrop’s future was guaranteed. By 1915 most of the mines except for a few in the Slate Creek area, had shut down. Winthrop was hard hit and it gradually declined in importance as its population plummeted.
Originally known in the old days as Winthrop Billard Parlor, it still stands today as the landmark, Three Finger Jack's Saloon.
It struggled through the depression years amidst rumors that it was destined to become a ghost town. But Winthrop hung on through the tough times.
Winthrop today is alive, and well, and prospering. The old town has been restored, and a surprising number of original false front buildings still stand along its main street. Today tourists who visit Winthrop will see how the town has retained the mood of yesteryear.
As the Duck Brand Saloon looks today, as Winthrop's city hall.
The Duck Brand Saloon as it looked in the late 1890s
