Newport, Washington

In the late 1880s, a small community began to develop at today’s Oldtown, Idaho, and became known as the “New Port” on the river. Over the next few years, settlers built homesteads and businesses in the area of present-day Newport, Washington, to accommodate the flood of railroad surveyors and workers for the Great Northern Railroad.

The Pend Oreille River could be considered the county’s first “highway,” navigated by steamboats, which carried people and freight to various destinations along the river. The first steamboat to serve Newport launched on the Pend Oreille River in 1888. By the late 1890s, two rival steamboats operated out of Newport, north to the Metaline area: the Red Cloud and the Volunteer. With the arrival of the Great Northern Railroad in 1892 (and later the Idaho & Washington Northern Railroad), the town boomed and the combination of river and rail transport greatly increased commercial opportunities.

Charles and Warren Talmadge acquired 40 acres of land in 1895 and platted the present city of Newport. Stevens County commissioners approved the plat on December 5, 1898, and the city was incorporated in 1903. Pend Oreille County, once a part of Stevens County, was created in 1911, and, a year later, Newport became the county seat.

The railroad, timber, and mining industries were vital to the early development and prosperity of the town and provided jobs to many Newport residents. Today, Newport works hard to remain prosperous. The continued presence of the timber industry is important to the town’s economy, as well as other entities like the Pend Oreille County PUD, city and county government, and numerous local businesses.

Be sure to visit the Pend Oreille County Museum, where volunteers can help you learn more about the town’s history and guide you to its many historic spots such as Fid’s Opera House, the Newport Trading Company, and many others.