Oroville (Washington)

Oroville (pop 1,686) is a tiny city in the North Cascades region of Washington State.

Understand
Established at the west end of the Okanogan Highlands as “Oro” in 1892 and renamed “Oroville” in 1909, this small community owes its name to its gold mining, panning and dredging history. The historic towns of Nighthawk, Molson, and Chesaw are nearby. Some gold is still extracted along the Similkameen River, which flows into Okanogan river; the nearby Buckhorn Mountain gold mine produces 123 thousands ounces of gold annually.

The local economy relies primarily on agriculture (apples, cherries, grapes and other fruit) sustained through irrigation. Farmers' markets, fruit stands, a brewery and three local wineries offer local home-grown products. The surrounding countryside of hills, mountains, rivers, lakes and forests hosts various fruit orchards, public lands and trails. Oroville is an amazing place to take your kids to swim in Lake Osoyoos.

Get in
US Highway 97 runs through the center of town, crossing the Canadian border as BC 97.

Get around
While the city is small enough to walk around in, the only sidewalks are in the downtown area. A car allows one to reach resort cottages spread out across Lake Osoyoos.

Do

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Buy
Most stores in Oroville, other than Princes, close at 5PM. There are numerous antique stores and gas stations.

Eat
Most restaurants in Oroville close by 9PM and are shut down for portions of the winter.



Stay Safe
Some issues with vandalism and illicit drug use may be cause to keep an eye on your possessions.

Molson
Molson (pop. 19) was established during an 1896 gold rush; George Meacham established a town in 1898 but never registered the land. The small boom town, which had about 300 people at its peak, was named for early investor John. W. Molson – a member of a Montréal family which had built one of the largest breweries in Canada.

In 1909, a local man claimed the land under the tiny community for himself, causing many buildings (including a 1900-era post office and a bank) to be relocated to a new, rival town site a half-mile away.

A theatre and hotel had been built when the Great Northern Railroad came to town in 1905-06; this international railway (Spokane WA to Princeton BC) served Molson until 1935. The principal mining and farming businesses began to die in the 1920s. The post office closed permanently in 1967.

The customs house and border crossing were abandoned in 1941; the southernmost half-kilometre of Old Molson Road in Canada (which used to reach the border from nearby Bridesville BC) no longer exists, leaving Old Railroad Road in Molson WA a dead-end at the 49th parallel. The former Customs and Immigration station now stands as part of the Molson Museums; access to the ghost town is only available from the US side. Only a handful of farmers and ranchers remain in the area.