North Cascades

SETTLEMENT PATTERNS IN THE NORTH CASCADES

CORRIDORS OF SETTLEMENT: STEHEKIN RIVER

View up Stehekin River valley, 1905.
(By L.D. Lindsley, University of Washington Photo Collection)

The Stehekin River has its rise in North Cascades National Park and empties into Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. While the Stehekin is not the park's largest drainage, it is, without doubt, one of the park's most dramatic. Gathering its waters in the glacial high country, the Stehekin flows southeasterly, flanked by craggy mountain walls which transform into a gently sloping bowl--a glacially-carved river valley. Winding its way through the wet/dry ecotone of the North Cascades the Stehekin completes its journey through remote and enchanting country at Lake Chelan, where its icy glacial waters are released.

Because the region is so remote, the Stehekin River valley remained unknown and uninhabited by white settlers until the 1880s, when miners began infiltrating the region in search of mineral wealth. Between the years 1887-1910 they came in relatively significant numbers. These miners looked to Lake Chelan for the easiest access to mineral deposits known to exist in the North Cascades. Finding a tolerable environment at the head of the lake, many of these pioneers located homesteads there.

In 1889 Alfred Downing wrote in The Northwest Magazine (October):

To the tourist, the hunter, or the man of leisure, Lake Chelan is no longer a sealed book. The sturdy settler and the prospector is already there, the latter already revealing the hidden treasures of that region. [156]

Indeed, by this time, settlement mainly associated with mining extended well beyond the townsite of Chelan at the foot of the lake. Settlers had quickly claimed the few homesites along the predominately rock-bound lake shore. A small settlement at Lucerne on the west side of the lake was established as a base camp for prospectors working on Railroad Creek. It was the last site with substantive improvements along the lake until one reached Stehekin at the head of the lake. [157] By the late 1880s Stehekin had two miners and their families as permanent residents. Within three years it was noted that ". . .there is a large settlement at and near the head of the lake, where the new town of Stehekin has been laid out...." [158]

Stehekin was a logical place for miners to call home. Situated at the head of water navigation, it was the final stop for commercial boats plying the lake to disembark prospectors and deliver their much-needed supplies. Although the mines were still miles beyond this point, the head of the lake quickly became the supply center for people, goods, and news--the last link to civilization. What had its inception as a mining base camp would eventually grow into the organized community of Stehekin.

One of the earliest maps of the area, a General Land Office (GLO) survey of Township 33 North Range 17 East completed in 1902, shows a hotel, post office, school house, three residences, and two barns at Stehekin. The map describes the remaining territory as "mountainous and unsurveyed." Two years later, in 1904, it was noted "There is no settlement at Stehekin, the only business enterprise at this point being Field's Hotel." [159] Upvalley from Stehekin there were nine structures scattered along both sides of the valley "road." [160]

Early settlement patterns in the Stehekin area were dictated primarily by topography, available water supply, and accessibility to natural transportation routes such as the lake. Those settlers who came early were unrestricted by government regulations and found land practical for homesteading. At the head of the lake, settlers were as close as possible to the "outside world." Over time, the changing course of the Stehekin River may have deposited rich, alluvial sediments along the valley floor, but it also left behind huge boulders and other debris that restricted free and easy settlement. Consequently, land suitable for cultivation was somewhat limited. Subsequent arrivals to Stehekin were forced to search upriver for good land on which to live. [161]

Few early settlers remained in the valley through the winter months. Seasonal work, isolation from other people, and the lack of fresh supplies were hardships difficult to bear. As winter approached many traveled downlake to Chelan and elsewhere, returning to Stehekin in the spring to prepare for the upcoming summer's activities. For most, these activities included mining, but Stehekin residents quickly realized that they could earn a living by outfitting hundreds of other prospectors who came uplake each summer in search of gold. Packing goods to the mineral claims, guiding miners into the backcountry, and other related services proved to be profitable for several individuals. And before 1890, Stehekin boasted a hotel that served prospectors, tourists, and fishermen who increasingly sought out this interior mountain country.

Demonstrated success over the years made it apparent that a relatively comfortable existence could be made at the head of the lake. When the first Stehekin residents encouraged their families and friends to join them, the population of Stehekin increased and a permanent community began to develop. The Chelan Leader of May 19, 1892, reported:

There is considerable difference in the appearance of this place comparing it with one year ago. At that time there was but one garden of any account in the whole valley. Now there are twelve on the north side of the river. . . one year ago there were about four actual settlers on the north side of the river. Now there are thirteen, eight of whom have families. [162]

Historic view of first log schoolhouse built in Stehekin at head of lake, on land now under water, n.d. (NOCA-Stehekin photo file: R. Byrd photo)	Stehekin School, pre-1957, when it was still a one-room structure. (NOCA-Stehekin photo file: P. Bergman photo)

School classes were held off and on for the few children living in Stehekin as early as 1895. [163] In 1902 there was a "schoolhouse" located at the head of the lake, and later on, the structure known as the Kronk cabin was used for classes. It is today the oldest known school building in the valley. [164] As new families arrived and others departed, the need for a schoolhouse downvalley arose and, in 1921, valley residents assembled to select a site for a new school. Materials for the building were all crafted by the community. Logs were cut, notched, and filled by volunteers, money was raised through "box socials" for flooring, windows and doors, and in the late summer, residents gathered to build the schoolhouse. [165] Now listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the school is attended by valley children in kindergarten through 8th grade and is a symbol of pride to all Stehekin residents.

Although Stehekin's economy was originally based on mining, that activity diminished in importance in the early twentieth century because of various factors, including transportation difficulties. Residents found other means of making a living. Subsistence farming, tourism, and logging sustained many Stehekin settlers. Apples were grown and transported downlake for market. Winter trapping and hunting became a mandatory activity for most. [166] Once the USFS was established in 1905, seasonal work became available in the Stehekin Ranger District of the Chelan National Forest, providing still another source of income for a few individuals. By 1910 many previously seasonal residents stayed year-round in the valley, surviving on the area's natural resources and their own ingenuity and self-determination.

Heavily dependent upon each other, settlers in the Stehekin valley exchanged goods for labor and labor for goods using the barter system. Cash that did come into their possession was usually the result of downlake employment, USFS work, or earnings from summer visitors on holiday in the valley. Over time the demand for cash on hand increased but Stehekin remained a cashless society until the 1940s. [167]

Stehekin settlers were also dependent upon each other socially. One activity which occurred historically and continues today in Stehekin is the gathering of valley residents to await the boat from Chelan. The community has always relied on the boat to bring new people, old friends, mail, and supplies from downlake. Traditionally most everyone gathered at the dock to receive goods as well as exchange news and experiences. Historically, the 55-mile journey required a full day's travel. Two boats plied the lake daily during the summer, one traveling uplake and one downlake. In the winter, boat service decreased to two trips a week with the slowed activity. Today, one boat cruises the lake daily during the summer, making three trips a week in the winter. Although freight and passengers have changed over time from mining equipment and prospectors to freezers and photographers, the century-old tradition of gathering to meet the boat still remains.