Metaline, Washington, is Pend Oreille County’s original gold camp. Unlike the carefully platted Metaline Falls across the river, Metaline was a true frontier town. The first non-Indian settlement in Pend Oreille County, its pioneers came looking for gold as early as the 1850s. They called it Metaline, which spoke to the area’s mineral-speckled landscape. Most of the original prospectors moved on, but some stayed and a distinct community formed. Yet it was, according to one 1889 observer, an “out of the way place.”

By the 1890s, people had begun to take notice of the region’s mineral wealth. The presence of quartz led prospectors to stake claims on land beneath the surface of which they hoped to find gold or other ores. Even then, however, the town’s isolated nature limited its growth. As the Washington State Geologist reported in 1892: “Isolated from surrounding settlements, practically cut off from communication with the outside world, is a mining district. . . . destined to [be] a leading mineral producer of the state, once transportation facilities, both by rail and water, are granted it.”

Beyond isolation, Metaline faced environmental challenges, including a destructive flood in 1894. Yet the town persisted and residents rebuilt on higher ground. Eventually, transportation improvements made life easier. In 1906, a wagon road opened from Ione to Metaline; a year later, navigability improvements through Box Canyon allowed for regular steamboat service to Metaline Landing. Thereafter came the railroad. With improved access to outside markets, the region’s mineral potential was realized and the town prospered. Although most of the mines are now closed, people are still drawn to the area for its beautiful setting and because it remains “out of the way.”

Credits and Sources:

Bamonte, Tony, and Susan Schaeffer Bamonte. History of Pend Oreille County. Spokane: Tornado Creek Publications, 1996.

Bethune, George A. Mines and Minerals of Washington: Second Annual Report. Olympia: O. C. White, State Printer, 1892.

Howe, M. Claire. Historical Sketches of Pend Oreille County as Related by Some of Its Pioneers. Newport: The Miner Print, 1976.

Kemp, Randall Harold.A Half-breed Dance, and Other Far Western Stories: Mining Camp, Indian, and Hudson’s Bay Tales based on the Experiences of the Author. Spokane, WA: Inland Printing Company, 1909.

Meany, Edmond S. Origin of Washington Geographic Names. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1923.

Photographs courtesy of the Pend Oreille County Historical Society and Pend Oreille County Library District.