Photo courtesy of the Ferry County Historical Society
The gold rush of the late 1800’s brought entrepreneurs and miners to what is now the town of Republic today. Originally, the town was named “Eureka”, probably after the Eureka Gulch mining location.
From the Ferry County Historical Society’s website:
“The first [development] was the opening of the Colville Indian Reservation for mining exploration in 1896. Overnight, the mountain and valley rivers and streams rang with the sound of shovels and axes, the braying of pack animals and the feverish invasion of eager men struggling to withdraw hidden wealth from water, rocks and dirt.”
Photo courtesy of Kinross
To this day, our area continues to attract mining companies like Kinross. Ferry County (Republic is the county seat) has been, and remains, the top producer of gold in the state.
When comparing photos like the one above from 1920, to photos of the town today (below), it is clear that Republic hasn’t grown much over the 100 years. For many, that is precisely the reason they chose to call Republic home in the first place.
Photo courtesy of Kinross
>> For more information, visit the Ferry County Historical Society’s website: //www.ferrycountyhs.org/mining.html
>> More images of Republic in the early 1900’s can be found at //www.ferrycountyhs.org/historicrepublic.html