Republic Washington Tourism

Located in the Northeastern area of the state and 30 miles from the Canadian Border, the town of Republic is the commercial center with unicorporated towns sprinkled throughout the rest of the county. In the 1890s, during the gold rush, Republic was known as Eureka Gulch.

Ferry County is still a natural resource based community and boasts one of the very few working gold mines in the Pacific Northwest. The Kettle River Operation Mine Site of Kinross Gold operates the mill that pulverizes the ore from the nearby mine to extract the gold. Many ranchers and loggers continue to earn their livelihood from the bountiful natural resources in the area.

Republic is well known for its Stonerose Fossil Site that has been featured in Smithsonian Institute, National Geographic and Sunset magazines as well as several TV travel shows on Washington. Stonerose is one of the very few sites where visitors who obtain a permit can actually dig for and keep 50 million-year-old Eocene fossils. The Stonerose Interpretive Center has an excellent display of fossils, tools to rent and will help identify the visitor’s finds.

Ferry County is also known for the Ranald McDonald cabin and gravesite. Born on the banks of the Lower Columbia, Ranald was the son of a Chinook Indian princess and a Hudson Bay trading post official.

In 1848, McDonald defied a 200-year-old imperial edict barring foreigners from Japanese soil and entered Japan on a “shipwrecked” rowboat. He was taken captive and imprisoned. In prison he taught several samurai warriors English and some of his students were instrumental in the treaty negotiations that opened Japan to trade with the United States.
When visiting the area a must see is the Antique Car and Truck Museum in Curlew.
Another must is the Ansorage Hotel. Built in 1903, it was built to house the rush of travelers on the new Great Northern Railroad.

Ferry County is full of natural beauty: Lake Curlew, Lake Roosevelt, the Kettle River, the free ferries across the Columbia River, and the Kettle Mountain Range. The area is well known for hunting, fishing, boating, hiking, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, bird watching and just plain enjoying the outdoors. The nearly car-free roads are a thrill for bicyclists and motorcyclists, though locals do share the road with a large deer population. Visitors marvel at the “town herd” as they wander through the streets.

The Republic area has many motels, resorts, and private, State and US Forest Service or Park Service campgrounds. There are many local restaurants and stores in Republic and unique villages of Ferry County.

The Armitage Herschell Spillman carrousel is also located in Republic. Activities throughout the year include: Winterfest, Steve Kaufman Mandolin & Guitar Workshop & Concert, Barrel Derby Days, Ansorge Artists Affair, Kettle Valley Songibrd Festival, Prospector Days, 4th of July Fireworks, Mountain Music Festival, Stock Car Races, Washington Open Fiddle Contest, Ferry County Fair, Cattle Roundup & Chili Feed.