REPUBLIC

Eureka to Republic

In July 1897, Philip Creasor built a two-story hotel at the townsite, originally called Eureka. This town site was platted on April 29, 1898, and the post office name changed to Republic, since there was already a post office named Eureka in the state of Washington. On May 8, 1900, a special election was held which approved incorporation of Republic, and J.J. Sullivan was elected mayor. The town was then officially incorporated on May 22, 1900, and had a population of about 1800. Two separate rail lines granted access to the area, Great Northern Railways Spokane Falls & Northern branch line and the locally owned Republic and Kettle Valley Railway, commonly called the "Hot air line" from Grand Forks, British Columbia. During the summer of 1900, Swedish immigrant Charles E. Anderson first opened Anderson's Grocery. As a major transportation and communication hub for the Okanogan Highlands, Republic was the headquarters for the Colville National Forest operations in the region. The first group of permanent Forest service fire lookouts were constructed by the end of the 1915 summer and comprised the Mount Bonaparte, First Thought Mountain , Sherman Pass, and Vulcan Mountain. The summer also saw completion of telephone trunk lines east to Kettle Falls and Marcus along with the "farmers lines" of the route. Westward, a trunk line was constructed south to West Fork on the Sanpoil River and then northwest though the Aeneas Valley and Anglin to Tonasket, Washington on the Okanogan River. A farmers branch extended up to Wauconda to the southeast of Mount Bonaparte, and another branch passed west of the mountain to reach Havillah just to the north west.

Hot Air Line

The Spokane and British Columbia Railway, originally the Republic and Kettle Valley Railway, was a short lived standard-gauge private rail company based out of Republic operating between Republic, Grand Forks and Lynch Creek British Columbia. The line was locally known as the "Hot Air line". The line began operation in 1902 as the Republic and Kettle Valley Railway, before being bought out in 1916. The company was initially incorporated in 1901 with J. Stratton as president, with construction of the line between Republic and Danville, Washington at the United States-Canadian border being contracted to the Republic and Grand Forks Construction Company, itself owned by Stratton. The rail line paralleled the Great Northern spur line from Republic through Malo and Curlew, Washington to Danville. The northern line was initially surveyed by the Republic and Kettle River company, but they were forced to build on higher ground beyond the Great Northern land boundaries. On January 2, 1902, the railroad was also approved by the Secretary of the Interior to conduct surveying for a southern line though the Colville Indian Reservation along the Sanpoil River.

Early entertainment

During the early 1900s, Republic was home to a regional baseball team which traveled the northeast region playing other city teams such as those from Colville and Orient, Washington, plus Grand Forks, British Columbia. The city also had a brass band which would play at events such as Fourth of July celebrations which it would host with the baseball club. The Kettle River Journal of Orient reported August 1913 that the Republic Theater had been purchased by a new owner who renovated and remodeled it.

1983 Republic hotel fire

On December 4, 1983, around 6pm, fire broke out on north Clarke Ave and raged for over 2 hours before being extinguished. The starting point was thought to have been an upper back room in the Republic Hotel and cafe. It spread for half a block consuming the hotel, the state liquor store, The Republic News-Miner newspaper offices, and an unoccupied building. A radio shop at the south end of the block and a hardware store at the north end were smoke-damaged but spared. Fire crews from Curlew, Malo, Keller, and Tonasket all responded to the blaze.

Modern era

Republic's prominence, initially brought on by the gold rush, started to fade as prospectors and those who supported the mining industry moved away. During the years between 1900 and 1910, the town lost over half its population. Despite this, mining has continued to be an important part of life in Republic, as gold is still mined for in the mountains surrounding the town. As of 2022, an estimated 8,000,000 oz (220 long tons; 250 short tons) of gold had been recovered from northern Ferry County, with active gold exploration being conducted by Adamera Minerals Corporation who acquired property on Buckhorn Mountain near the Canadian border from Kinross Gold Corporation. As of the 2020s, the town of 1,100 is sustained mainly by those people in surrounding farms and ranches, miners who work at the local mine, and tourists looking for a quieter, slower pace of life.