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Because of its remoteness, Okanogan Country was one of the last areas in Washington settled by whites, but it was an early thoroughfare for prospectors enroute to the gold fields in British Columbia. The confluence of the Okanogan and Columbia Rivers has been a gateway to the vast lands of the north since before Astor’s Pacific Fur Company established the first American inland fur trading post nearby. Okanogan Country’s history is a story book of great Indians and fur trappers, of farmers and ranchers who imagined taming the wild land, of railroad men and miners. Today Okanogan Country offers a wide variety of historical and cultural museums, cemeteries,ghost towns and activities.
Ask for The Highlands Historic Loop and the Many Lakes Historic maps for a guide to the many historic sites, museums and cemeteries in the area.
Sites on the National Register of Historic Places
- Early Winters Ranger State Work Center, Mazama
- Parson Smith Tree, north of Winthrop
- Guy Waring cabin at Shafer Museum, Winthrop
- Columbia River bridge, Bridgeport
- Okanogan County Courthouse, Okanogan
- Okanogan Project Conconully Reservoir Dam, Conconully
- Bonaparte Mountain Cabin, near Tonasket
- Lost Lake Guard Station, east of Tonasket
- Hiram F. “Okanogan” Smith Orchard, Oroville
- Enloe Dam and Power Plant, east of Oroville
- Ansorge Hotel, Curlew
- Curlew bridge
- Curlew School
- Ranald MacDonald’s grave, Curlew (memorializes one of the first Americans to live in Japan)
- Creaser Hotel, Republic
- -Trevitt House, Republic
- Stonerose Interpretive Center and Eocene Fossil Site, Republic
- Chief Joseph Memorial, Nespelem
- Colville Tribal Museum, Coulee Dam
QUICK FACTS
Okanogan County Historical Museum
Okanogan | (509) 422-4272
Colville Tribal Museum
Coulee Dam | Open daily from 10 - 6, May - September
Schaeffer Museum
Winthrop | (509) 996-2712
Old Molson Ghost Town Museum
(509) 485-3292
Antique Truck and Car Museum- Curlew
(509) 779-4204
Stonerose Interpretive Fossil Center
Republic | (509) 775-2295
The History of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Nation
Nespelem | www.colvilletribes.com/past.htm
Colville Tribes Official Site
Nespelem | www.colvilletribes.com | (509) 634-2570
Okanogan County Historical Society
Okanogan | www.okanoganhistory.org
Okanogan Borderland Historical Society Museum
Open May 1 - Labor Day, Seven Days a Week
obhistoricalsociety@gmail.com
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