Leavenworth Day 1

The drive to Leavenworth was one of the most breathtaking drives I have ever experienced. There was snow left and right the highway and you could actually see people skiing on certain hill tops. It was a good 2.5 hours drive but it was really a beautiful drive.

WOW!

Our first view of Leavenworth.

History of Leavenworth

Originally known as Icicle in 1885.

It was a bountiful land for the Yakama, Chinook and Wenatchi Indian tribes to hunt for deer and elk, and fished in the confluence of the Wenatchi River and Icicle Creek for Salmon.

The gold rush in the 1860s brought traders and gold hunters into this area.

By 1890, Icicle Flats (settlement) and  the Great Northern Railway line begun.

It became a power timber center and has the largest sawmill in the country.

In 1893, the town was platted and named after Captain Charles F. Leavenworth.

The the railway line was re-routed. That turned Leavenworth into a ghost town for a good 30 years!

In 1960s, town leaders came together and facelifted Leavenworth; modeled the town into a German Bavarian village.

Starbucks on the right with the clock tower

There was a Mongolian Grill here and a boutique

Ludwig's German Restaurant

Gift shops in here

Bookshop

Nutcracker Museum

Civic Center