One of the west’s most fascinating historical figures to me has always been Chief Joseph of the Wallowa Nez Perce. Joseph was both a warrior and a peacemaker but ended up in an impossible position in 1877 after a treaty guaranteeing his band’s place in the Wallowa Valley was broken and four white settlers were killed by his people in the aftermath. He fled towards the Canadian border with his band but was overtaken just shy of the border. In the aftermath of what has become known as the Nez Perce War, the Wallowa band was resettled on the Colville Reservation in Washington which I visited late last year. Joseph traveled far and wide speaking on behalf of his people and never gave up hope of returning to his beloved Wallowa Valley. He spoke so fondly of it that I knew I had to go visit the area when I had the opportunity. What I found was a stunning valley, surrounded by mountains and ribboned with rivers and lakes, As soon as I descended into the valley I could see why Chief Joseph was so passionate about it. In addition to being their traditional homeland and the place where their dead are buried, it clearly provided them with everything they would have ever needed.
Nestled in the heart of the Wallowa Valley is the town of Enterprise, an adorable little mountain town founded in 1886 and now home to about 2,000 people. Enterprise is both the county seat of Wallowa County and the main supply town for the region. The railroad arrived in 1908 allowing the Eastern Oregon Lumber Company to form a few years later. Lumber is still a major player in the local economy and, along with the local ranching operations, helps keep the town afloat. I loved the little historic downtown core which is clean and well-kept, and dinner at the Range Rider was also a treat. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Enterprise and the Wallowa Valley and I hope you enjoy these photos from my visit.
When I drove out to Palouse Falls I knew it was in the middle of nowhere and I knew I would stay until sunset. What I didn’t know is where I would end up for the night. I figured I’d just drive until I found somewhere good. When I pulled into Dayton, I knew I was there. Dayton is the cutest town I found anywhere in the Pacific Northwest. The historic 1881 train depot (Washington’s oldest), the circa 1887 county courthouse, the old schoolhouse and the historic Liberty Theatre are so quintessentially small-town America that they made me smile from ear to ear. The bustling main street with the delightful Moose Creek Bakery and the wonderful Buckwheat Brewery was great too. I think what made me smile the most, though, was their undeniable local spirit. It seemed as though everyone in town was supporting The Bulldogs with hand painted signs in almost every window. I had a wonderful stay in Dayton and lingered longer than I ever would have imagined. I hope you enjoy these pictures of beautiful Dayton, home of The Bulldogs and Washington’s picture perfect small town.
Because when you’re driving in the middle of nowhere and you look to your left and see dozens of dinosaurs roaming through a little town, you just have to stop and take a look. When you’re 100% sure that they’re not moving, you can get out and take some photos. Granger installed its first dinosaur statue in the 1990s in an effort to attract tourism (keeping in mind that Jurassic Park came out in 1993). There are now over 30 dinosaurs around town and Granger hosts their annual DIno-Days each June. I thought it was a fantastic little town and definitely worth a stop. I hope you enjoy these photos from Granger, Washington - The City Where Dinosaurs Roam.
Toppenish is a cute little town with an Old West feel on the Yakama Indian Reservation in Southeast Washington State. It’s home to the wonderful Yakama Nation Cultural Center which was one of the better American Indian museums I’ve visited in the state. You can also find the Northern Pacific Railway Museum and the American Hop Museum which cover two of the main industries in the town’s history (both were sadly closed during my visit). Toppenish gets its name from a Yakama word meaning “landslide”. It is probably most famous for its 75 downtown murals which depict life in the valley between 1840 and 1940. I had a pleasant stay in Toppenish, and was treated to one of the best sunsets I’d seen in months while I was there. I hope you enjoy these photos from Toppenish, a town of museums and murals in Yakima County.
Roslyn is a tiny town of less than a thousand people in the heart of the coal mining region of Kittitas County. The community was founded in 1886 as a company town for the Northern Pacific Coal Company. Coal miners came from all over the world to work in Roslyn, creating a diverse community, and many ethnic social clubs began to form. Tragedy struck in 1892 when Roslyn Mine #1 exploded killing 45 local miners in the deadliest mining accident in Washington history. The mines would continue to operate until 1963. Roslyn has maintained much of its coal town appearance and has been listed on the National Register of historic places. The town has been used as the filming location for several TV and movie projects, most notably transforming into the fictional Alaskan town of Cicely for the show Northern Exposure. The mural of the Cafe Roslyn features prominently in the show’s opening credits and was originally placed there by my friend Gabe’s aunt who ran the cafe and had an affinity for Camel cigarettes. Roslyn is also home to The Brick, the oldest continuously operating bar in the state. Just outside of town are 26 fascinating cemeteries which are technically separate but are all adjoining. These served the different social and ethnic societies in their time and provide an interesting window into the town’s past.
I had a great time during my brief stay in Roslyn. I loved all of the old buildings and remember seeing some of them before on TV. Marco’s Place had a great barbecue special the night I visited and the downstairs speakeasy at the Base Camp bookstore was a lot of fun. The Brick is a must-visit place and had live music the night I was there. Although I didn’t see it, there is supposedly an old jail cell in the basement for any patrons who get out of line. I’m definitely glad I made my way out to tiny Roslyn, Washington which really had a lot to offer for a town that small. I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.
Leavenworth, Washington is a charming Bavarian town in the mountains of Central Washington State. Originally hunting and fishing grounds for the Yakama, Chinook and Wenatchi tribes, the area wasn’t settled by people of European decent until the end of the 19th century. They came for gold, trees and fur and a small village called Icicle Flats began to grow. It took the name Leavenworth after a Portland based surveyor who laid out the streets. The town would boom and then bust with the arrival and then the departure of the railroad. Struggling to survive after World War II, Leavenworth embarked on a bold journey to create a themed Bavarian-style town with the hope of bringing tourism to town. This took a huge investment of time and money, but today over 3 million visitors come to stroll the village, shop, and enjoy the many dining and entertainment options on offer. Yes, it is touristy and a little silly but in the best possible way. During my visit I saw so many people walk into town with a huge smile on their faces as they left their troubles behind. I know I enjoyed my stay and it’s a town I will definitely return to in the future. Leavenworth is a Bavarian dream in the heart of Chelan County. I hope you enjoy these photos from my visit:
Winthrop is a great little Old West themed town on the east side of the North Cascade Mountains. The area was originally inhabited by the Methow People who made seasonal hunting and fishing camps along the Methow and Chewuch Rivers. In 1891, a man named Guy Waring, who had been a Harvard classmate of Theodore Roosevelt, made a homesteading claim at the confluence of the two rivers and established a trading post. As a town grew up around Waring’s store, they chose the name Winthrop after Major Theodore Woolsey Winthrop who had traveled extensively in Washington (and elsewhere) and was one of the first Union officers killed in the Civil War. Guy Waring irrigated the town, built a sawmill, started a cattle ranch and an apple farm and ran the Duck Brand Saloon in town (now Town Hall) before returning to the east in 1917. Winthrop carried on without him. The town was an early adapter to tourism with several dude ranches opening in the 1930s. When the road through the North Cascades was finally ready to open in 1972, the people of Winthrop adopted a plan to beautify the downtown area with an Old West theme. The result is a fun town that you have to simply have to stop and wander through. I had been to Winthrop before, several years ago, and was looking forward to checking it out again on this trip through. I love the architecture in Winthrop, especially the glistening white Farmers State Bank and the Old Schoolhouse Brewery. The Shafer Museum is also excellent and is mostly outdoors so it is accessible even outside of their business hours. I really enjoyed my stay in Winthrop and the cloudy skies helped portray how chilly it was there in late fall. I hope you enjoy these photos from beautiful downtown Winthrop, Washington’s Old West town.
The San Juan Islands are a beautiful archipelago located off the coast of Washington State in the far northwest of the country. Originally home to different bands of the Coast Salish people, the islands were named by Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza in 1791. After the Oregon Treaty of 1846 established the border between the United States and British Canada at the 49th Parallel, ownership of the San Juans came under dispute. Forts were established on both sides of San Juan Island and when an American soldier shot a British pig, the 12 year Pig War began. This was a bloodless war (except for the pig), and soldiers from both sides were frequently found socializing in the opposing fort. Athletic competitions were held between the two. Finally, in 1871, Emperor Wilhelm I of Germany stepped in and proclaimed that the Haro Straight would be the border between the countries, leaving Vancouver Island in British hands and the San Juans with America. I enjoyed my visit to three of the San Juan Islands on this trip - San Jan Island itself, Orcas Islands and tiny Lopez Island. I hope you enjoy these photos from the beautiful San Juan Islands of Washington.
Coupeville is an adorable little waterfront town on the shores of Penn Cove on Whidbey Island. The architecture reminds me of a quaint little New England town and is very well preserved. Originally Lower Skagit Indian land, the area was settled in the 1850s by Thomas Coupe, for whom the town is named. Coupeville is a small town with a population of right around 2000 people. It’s also home to Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve, the first site of its kind in the country which preserves the old buildings and countryside of the 19th century settlers. I had a great visit to Coupeville, enjoying coffee on the pier and wonderful views out over the water. There are some lovely little Victorian buildings around including the immaculate Anchorage Inn and Kineth House. I loved all of the seasonal and Halloween decorations that were up when I visited as well. The highlight of my visit was probably the fish and chips at Toby’s, though. You can get fish and chips everywhere in Washington, but these were the best I’ve had in a very long time. You should definitely check it out if you visit. I hope you enjoy these photos of tiny Coupeville, Whidbey Island’s waterfront gem.
It’s been a busy week out here on the road in Central and Southern Washington. I’ve traveled down some beautiful roads this week, many following winding streams and rivers, and stopped in some really cool little towns. I’ve been listening to a great radio station out here playing real oldies – like oldies that were oldies when I was a kid. I haven’t heard a lot of those songs in decades and my toes have been tapping as I cruise down the road. This is apple country and it’s cool to pass through the apple orchards and see many with fruit still on the trees, while the leaves have turned bright orange with the season. Empty apple crates dot the landscape from earlier picking. There are plenty of grapes out here too as this is Washington’s wine country. The weather hasn’t been great, but it hasn’t been terrible and there have been some wild clouds in the sky overhead much of the week. The days are short, but I’ve been trying to make the most of the daylight I have as I wind up my time in Washington State.
It’s been an interesting week out here in the “Inland Empire” of Washington State. The week started out in deserted ghost towns of the far northeast of the state, took me to the big city of Spokane, led me just across the border into Idaho for a night and finally back towards the center of the state and the enormous Grand Coulee Dam. I’ve passed through a lot of ranch country this week and a handful of railroad-and-grain-elevator towns similar to those found all across the heartland of the country. I caught a lot of live music this week, ate one too many burgers and somehow managed to dodge most of the raindrops in the area. All in all, I’d say it’s been a good week.
Most states have at least one town with a European theme and if you’ve been following this blog for a while, you've seen that they are too rich in photography opportunities to pass up. Which is the point. Poulsbo, a small town of just over 11,000 residents, is a beautiful example of how to do this well and judging by the number of tourists I saw there during my stay, it’s working well for them.
This area was originally inhabited by the Suquamish people who currently live on a reservation just down the road. After the Treaty of Point Elliott was signed in 1855 moving American Indians in Washington onto reservations, the vacated land was open to settlement. Norwegian immigrant Jørgen Eliason founded the townsite in 1880 and was soon joined there by other Scandinavians who appreciated the landscape and location on what’s now called Liberty Bay. When the town grew to a size that it needed a post office, one citizen recommended “Paulsbo” after his Norwegian hometown. The authorities in Washington DC misread the handwriting on the petition and the town would forever after be known as Poulsbo instead. Norwegian was the primary language spoken in the town until World War II when the town experienced an influx of GIs who came to work at the nearby Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton.
I had a fantastic time in Poulsbo. I was thrilled to find some great Oktoberfest beers on tap and delicious European comfort food at Tizley’s Europub. I enjoyed another great fest beer while sitting next to a lovely outdoor fire pit at Valholl Brewery, and live music at The Brass Kraken finished off the night. The next morning I had a delicious pastry from Sluy’s Bakery and then sat down to all-you-can-eat pancakes at the Sons of Norway Hall. In between all of that fun, I managed to take some great photos, especially around dusk when the water was still and amazingly reflective. I hope you enjoy these photos from beautiful Poulsbo, Kitsap County’s Little Norway.
