It was called "Loomiston" once. It was one of the great mining towns in Okanogan County at one time. One of the first settlers was the pioneer merchant, J.A. Loomis, who built the first store on the site and called the place "Loomiston."
One of the first settlers to Loomis was pioneer merchant J.A.Loomis, who built the first store on the townsite.
In 1886 the Colville Indian Reservation was thrown open and hundreds of prospectors flooded in. By 1891 the influx had turned Loomis into a boom town. Its three block long main street was lined with buildings, including a total of eight saloons and two dance halls.
But in 1893 the bottom suddenly dropped out of the silver market and threw Loomis into a tailspin. And it stayed that way until 1898, when interest in mining suddenly revived. Loomis roared back to life. By 1899 its population was well over 500. Loomis was a tough mining town in its days, typical of many mining camps scattered through Okanogan County in those days.
But the mines around Loomis, like most of those mines of Okanogan County, the price of silver dropped. After that Loomis declined rapidly and the miners drifted away.
Today the Loomis of old has all but vanished. The colorful main street is no more although a few buildings from the past still survive.
Looking down main street Loomis today, the boom town days of Loomistown have vanished forever
The deserted mill at the Ruby Mine stands today in the shadows of Mount Chopaka.
Ore car tracks that run from the Ruby Mine to Ruby Mill still remain today.
Remains of a miners cabin near Ruby Mine.
Looking east across the Sinlahekin Valley where the scars of mines can still be seen along the barren slopes, a reminder of the bonanza days of yesteryear.
