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

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Welcome to Northeastern Washington, a rugged yet fascinating part of Washington State that is rich in the history of the Old West mining era and that so vividly echoes the powerful punch of a miner’s pick and the roaring boom of yet another dynamite blast—sounds that signaled the feverish search for the richest veins of gold and silver on earth. Follow the paths of miners and prospectors; walk in the footsteps of thousands of faceless adventurers who sought their fortunes in the dark and explosive atmosphere of black powder and candlelight.

Visit Northeastern Washington State, step into history, and dig into the past! Many people imagine Washington as a rainy, cold place with lush rain forests, glaciated volcanoes, tall evergreens, and a population made up mostly of latte-drinking aerospace and computer nerds. 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 rather different. Separated from the western part of the state by the majestic Cascade Mountain Range, eastern Washington is arid, warm, and reminiscent of the Wild, Wild West. The lonesome highways of the region pass by tumbleweeds, canyons, coyotes, and free-range cattle. Stampedes, Native American encampments, rodeos, pack trains, cowhands, and other Old 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 American West during the late 1800s, the Okanogan and Methow valleys 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 gold mining frenzy. Ten years later, the procession of gold seekers trudged north through Northeastern Washington, headed for rumored riches in Canada’s Cariboo country. Many looked for a likely lode along the way. 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 the “El Dorado of the North.” Hence, from 1896 until the Great Depression, gold business boomed, and within a few short months the mountains were dotted with mining camps sporting names like Ruby, Conconully, Barron, Nighthawk, Loup Loup, and Loomis. The Methow Valley 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, beginning around 1860. The “China Ditch,” built from a point three miles upstream on the Methow River to today’s Pateros, trapped modest amounts of flour gold, popularly known as gold dust. Chinese placer miners worked the deposits of sand and gravel that contained particles of gold or other valuable heavy minerals. Gold is the most important mineral found in placer mining.

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

Squaw Creek and the Red Shirt Mine hosted the first lower-valley booms. The town of Gilbert, up the Twisp River valley, served a slew of miners during the 1890s. A bit later, the Alder Mine sprang up just south of Twisp, and that mine 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. Miners seeking riches in the Slate Creek area, high in the rugged North Cascades, faced formidable challenges. The rugged terrain of the region made access difficult and hauling freight dangerous. In an average winter, heavy snowfalls caused snowslides to pour down the canyons. In some cases, buildings were demolished and miners were buried alive. This district was first discovered by west-side prospectors working their way up the Skagit River; however, because that river route was so daunting, most elected to use the Methow access route.

Alex Barron arrived there first, in 1893, and discovered a “glory hole,” which spawned a roaring boom town, bearing his name, near the Cascade Summit. Supplying this hungry camp proved a boom for both the town of Winthrop and for Guy Waring, founder of the Methow Trading Company. Two years later, Colonel Thomas Hart bought an interest in the Slate Creek mines and began building a narrow-gauge (26" 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 State. Infamous Dead Horse Point along the way marks the spot where an entire pack string of horses plunged off a cliff. Brothers Charles and Hazard Ballard took over Hart’s task. They widened the road slightly, and eventually became involved with the Mammoth and Azurite mines, which continued operating through the 1930s.

Guy Waring, on right, and Alex Barron