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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Visiting the ‘Old West’


Nancy Lemons and Kah-less wander along the Golden Tiger Pathway near Republic, Wash.
 (John Lemons Special to / The Spokesman-Review)
Nancy Lemons Special to Travel

The snow began soft and slow, turning to a steady shower our first morning in Republic, Wash.

The past week at home in The Dalles, Ore., had been springlike, with daffodils pushing up through the soil and blossoms emerging in neighboring orchards.

In Republic, winter was letting us know it was still present as snow fell on the town situated between some of Washington’s highest passes.

Low, dry brush dominates the hills in this region with occasional groves of Aspen and evergreens scattered over them. Little creeks flow through the hills and valleys, creating ribbons of lush trees and vegetation.

Gold motivated men to carve out a mining camp in this rugged valley in the late 1890s. However, we found our treasure in the form of fossils, misty mountains and pastoral landscapes.

After coffee, we headed to the Perry Wilderness Park just behind our hotel for a morning walk with our dog, Kah-less. We descended via a couple of switchbacks until we were level with Granite Creek.

A large beaver dam held back the creek’s water to form a pool. No beavers in sight.

Valerie Hester, one of the proprietors of the Prospector Inn Hotel, told me during the continental breakfast that the dam has been there since last year. She said she sometimes watched silently from the bank as the beaver pulled in materials for the construction project.

Driving Clark Avenue, we surveyed the town. The “old west” look of Republic, which is the Ferry County seat, has been retained or adopted by many businesses. The raw-wood exterior of the Prospector Inn, the balconies of the Northern Inn Motel and the swinging saloon doors of a local establishment lend to this theme. Traffic lights and fast-food chains are absent.

A government survey in 1893 and 1894 established a township and range lines, as well as provided the first reliable notes on agriculture, residence, trails and wagon roads, according to literature from the Ferry County Historical Society.

In February 1896, the north half of the Colville Indian Reservation was opened for mining claims. The first claim was staked north of present-day Republic on Eureka Creek. By spring, 64 men called Eureka Camp (later Republic) home. The gold rush boom lasted until about 1900.

The county still boasts a working gold mine and local outfitters can still set up 21st century prospectors with supplies for panning the precious metal.

North of Republic on Highway 21, we found the Golden Tiger Pathway, a former railroad track, which now serves as a year-round multi-use trail. The pathway, which is about three miles, is paved with a parallel dirt trail for horses.

Two railroad companies raced to lay track to Republic in the early 1900s, but the boom that was expected to follow didn’t materialize. Burlington Northern Sante Fe still uses part of the Great Northern route.

From the pathway, we could see clouds lacing through the evergreen trees on the hills of the Kettle Crest range east of where we stood. Below us, the narrow San Poil River snaked through a pastoral valley.

We walked between tall rock formations the railroad company had chiseled through many years ago to make way for the track. Raindrops dripped from the green moss and ginkgo that grew on the face of the rock walls.

It was dark when we returned to town. A group of about eight deer walked across the road, close to where we would park our car before going to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant.

Deer are plentiful here, as is hunting. Of course, hunting is not allowed in town. Maybe these deer know that – thus the reason for choosing city life. The town herd is said to be around 30 head.

The next morning, I heard church bells ringing, the sound carrying through the town. People were just beginning to stir.

At the continental breakfast, Hester showed me samples of her finds from the nearby Stonerose Interpretive Center’s fossil site. The carbon impressions of a plum leaf, gingko and a chocolate flower distinctly show up on different pieces of shale, as well as some seeds.

Hester says she’s on the hunt for a fish now. She has lots of examples of plants, some of which are displayed about the hotel’s continental breakfast area.

The Stonerose fossils are of plants, insects and fish that lived in and around a large lake nearly 50 million years ago, according to the center.

A fossil digging pass can be purchased at the Stonerose Center. All finds are reviewed by the staff. Some fossils can be taken home; however, fossils that are deemed to have scientific significance are kept for further study. The center follows up with a letter to let amateur archeologists know what they discovered.

For details and rules on fossil digging, contact the center or visit their Web site (see below).

A membership-only dig is set for April 23 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. New members are encouraged to join on this day to participate. An art and antique auction is scheduled the following day to raise money for the center. The regular season opens May 4.

Before leaving Republic, we took one more walk on the Golden Tiger Pathway. (The dog travels better after a good walk.)

Then, we grabbed a hot lunch from Mel’s Drive Through – the closest thing to fast foot in these parts – before hitting the dusty trail (well, highway) back home after a treasured visit to Republic.