Leavenworth 1900

Leavenworth 1900 - 2007

People who come to Leavenworth today get here via U.S. Highway 2. We associate the highway with Leavenworth, since it separates the river and downtown south side from the orchards and ski hill to the north. a century ago, the valley floor where the highway is now was filled with seven parallel railroad tracks.

Great Northern Railway company trains came over Stevens Pass, stopped in Leavenworth and continued to Wenatchee, Spokane and Chicago. Leavenworth was the GNRR's hub, with a switchyard, roundhouse (where the Enzian Inn is now), and large freight yard. As in other western communities, the railroad was the transportation lifeline and commercial center for early Leavenworth. The Lamb-Davis Lumber Company built a huge sawmill in town (now Enchantment Park). Cedar and fir logs floated downriver from Lake Wenatchee were sawed into boards and shipped by rail to the rest of the country.

From the sawmill's construction in 1903 till the late 1920's, Leavenworth was a booming town. The railroad, mill, logging camps and downtown commercial zone provided employment. The town also was the center for supplies and refreshment for the many trappers and miners who worked in the nearby hills. Hotels, boarding houses, saloons and other establishments catered to a thousand sawmill and railroad employees. Some were transient, some permanent; most enjoyed the night life, whiling away the time with cards or pool, girls, or watching boxing "smokers." A few were troublemakers.

But in 1922 GNRR moved its roundhouse to Wenatchee, and the sawmill closed 1926. The cross-pass route was switched from Tumwater Canyon Chumstick Valley, so the trains that once supported its economy now bypassed Leavenworth. When the stock market crashed in 1929 and the Great Depression ensued, jobs were scarce around Leavenworth. People knew how to farm, though, and traded goods and services with neighbors, so the community endured. R.B. Field, founder and president of the Leavenworth State Bank, extended credit to all his customers throughout the Depression and the bank survived.

Life in Leavenworth was quiet during the 1940s and '50s. Logging, the Forest Service, the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, schools, the hospital, and local farms and dairies provided employment. The entertainment highlight of each year was the ski jumping tournament on the 90-meter hill, which drew huge crowds ( some arriving from Seattle and Spokane via train) and also featured a big Saturday night dance.

By the early 1960s, with many downtown store fronts vacant and the population dwindling, Leavenworth was just another struggling rural community. Then a remarkable transformation began. Guided by a community development consultant from the University of Washington, Project LIFE (Leavenworth Improvement for Everybody) brought residents together to turn the town into a tourist destination. Businesses remodeled to a Bavarian theme; Art in the Park was organized to become a cultural attraction; and the Washington State Autumn Leaf Festival was established to provide entertainment for visitors from all over the Northwest.

Tourism is now the foundation of Leavenworth's economy. The Bavarian Village, named America's top holiday town by the Arts and Entertainment channel, is a magnet for visitors from all corners of the globe. The town's 27 annual festivals, Bavarian architecture, unique gift shops and tourist amenities, proximity to forest recreation, arts and entertainment, wine and agricultural tourism attractions, and spectacular scenery now provide a rich palette of experiences for residents and visitors of all ages.

This is just one of many fascinating descriptions of Leavenworth located inside the new Leavenworth Washington Centennial 1906-2006 Special Edition Calendar. For this and many more stories about Leavenworth and glimpses into Leavenworth's one-of-a-kind history through unique commentary and museum quality photographs, purchase a Bi-Centennial Calendar at any of Leavenworth's fine shops, restaurants and businesses. For more information regarding purchasing or Centennial Sponsorship, please call the Upper Valley Museum at Leavenworth: 1-509-548-0728

The Leavenworth Centennial Committee was instrumental in the creation of this special calendar and direction of this project. This web site wishes to thank the participants, and show our appreciation for the many hours of work and effort that went into the creation of this historical keepsake. Those efforts by this committee, its sponsors, and many participants have made this brief glimpse into Leavenworth's historical past possible! Thank you...

Leavenworth Centennial Committee

Mike Cecka, chair - Sandy Siegert - Georgia Bakke-Tull -Kjell Bakke
Elsa Meinig - David Severance - Carol Forhan - Bill Wells - Larry Meyer - Carolyn Wilson - Mary Burke Warden - Luci Aldrich - Patricia Stoudt - Bill Rietveldt - Bobbi Ferg - Chris Rader

Thank you...

Chris Rader, KOHO Radio (writing, editing and layout)
Arleen Blackburn, Leavenworth Echo (photo collecting, writing and editing)
Georgia Bakke-Tull, Upper Valley Museum at Leavenworth (photo collecting and general oversight)
Carol Forhan, Leavenworth Echo (photo collecting, bids and advertising)
Bobbi Ferg (photo collecting)
Mark Behler, Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center (photo collection)
Candice Dillhoff (Centennial logo design)
Pat Morris (longtime Leavenworth historian)

Sponsors:

Mountain Range

Upper Valley Museum at Leavenworth
City of Leavenworth
Prairie Media/The Leavenworth Echo

Alpine Meadows

Icicle Inn

Ski Hill Adventure

Cashmere Valley Bank
Ward's Funeral Chapel
Marson and Marson, Lumber, Inc.
Varela & Associates, Inc.
Terrence M. McCauley Law Offices
Enzian
Bavarian Lodge
P.U.D., Chelan County Utility District
Tiedeman Construction /Excavation
Rotary International-Leavenworth
Kris Kringl
Linderhof Inn
Leavenworth Cards - Hank Manriquez
Rayfield Brothers Excavation, Inc.
Commercial Printing, Inc.

Moguls

Dan's Food Market
Leavenworth Lions Club
Wells Fargo Bank

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