Ghosts of the Okanogan Highlands

A daytrip through North Central Washington’s boomtown past

By Timothy Jolin

Amongst the arid pine forests and rolling hills of the Okanogan Highlands, dozens of ghost towns testify to the gold mining and homesteading frenzies of a century ago. Towns like Wauconda endure as functioning communities while others such as Bodie lay abandoned and nearly forgotten.

Five excellent boomtowns exist in an easily drivable route perfect for a daytrip. This 95-mile loop begins in the quiet town of Tonasket before climbing into sun-drenched hills where the ghosts of Havillah, Molson, Chesaw, Bodie, and Wauconda beckon.


Havillah – Elevation 3507

How to get there: Take Highway 97 north to Tonasket. Proceed to the Havillah Road. Turn northeast (right) onto the Havillah Road (17 miles), arrive at Havillah. Distance: 17 miles from Tonasket. Time: 30 minutes.

Havillah—a word meaning “land of gold”—escaped the boom and bust cycle of neighboring towns because, ironically, gold was never discovered there. Homesteaders rather than prospectors founded Havillah in 1905. A stable farming community, Havillah plodded along until the Great Depression and World War II drew many of its residents to larger towns. The post office closed in 1944 and the school slowly transferred grades to Tonasket until it closed permanently in 1970.

The first structure to greet you upon arrival is the flourmill and schoolhouse built in 1905. The current owners, the Kalmas, maintain an excellent antique shop that offers a unique collection of artifacts to peruse. To the east of the old flourmill is the original Schweikert homestead log cabin built in 1904. Finally, Immanuel L

utheran Church sits just north overlooking gentle fields. This church has been the community hub since it was constructed in 1905.

- Immanuel Lutheran Church still holds services at 9:00 AM every Sunday


Molson – Elevation 3708

How to get there: Depart Havillah north on the Havillah Rd (7.5 miles), turn west (left) onto the Chesaw Road (3.5 miles), turn north (right) onto the Molson Rd (5.5 miles), arrive at Molson. Distance: 15 miles. Time: 30 minutes.

Founded in 1900, Molson’s population quickly reached three hundred—mostly prospectors staking claims in the surrounding hills. Molson’s first year saw the start of a newspaper as well as the opening of three general stores, legal and medical offices, a saloon, and hotel. Despite the town’s meteoric rise, the mining fizzled and by 1901 the population plummeted to a dozen people.

Four years later Molson was resurrected when the railroad came

to town bringing a new wave of residents. Abandoned businesses resumed operations and new ones opened including a drug store, two more saloons, a dance hall, livery barn, blacksmith shop, and assay office. Molson served as an important supply hub to the surrounding area including British Columbia until the railroad shut down in 1935. Molson declined steadily until 1967 when its post office closed condemning the town to the ghosts.

The best preserved of the ghost towns, Molson requires at least an hour to experience. The first point of interest is an easy-to-walk loop displaying more than a dozen original buildings including the Molson State Bank, assay office, sheriff’s office, shingle mill, several cabins and a number of other buildings. One homestead cabin is open for inspection and commemorates the original site of the Tonasket Hotel.

Just north of the old town site is a gem of a museum in the three-story brick schoolhouse built in 1914. Inside the museum is a restored schoolroom and library, a collection of antique hand tools, and photographs depicting the history not only of Molson but the great Okanogan Highlands area. The museum is open every day from 10-5 beginning on Memorial Day to Labor Day.

- One of Molson’s founders was John W. Molson of the Molson brewing family.
- Molson’s Hotel Tonasket was named after the legendary Native American chief. The 34-room hotel was built in 1900 and became the premier hotel in Okanogan County until it burnt to the ground in 1924.


Chesaw – Elevation 2913

How to get there: Depart Molson South on Molson Road (.5 mile), turn east (left) onto Mary Ann Creek Road (5.5 miles), turn east (left) onto Chesaw Road (4.4 miles), arrive at Chesaw. Distance: 10.5 miles. Time: 25 minutes.

Named after the Chinese merchant Chee Saw, this mining town was established in 1898 as a hub for the mining activity in the surrounding hills. Chee Saw opened a general store and became the primary supplier to the cascade of miners flooding the area. Over the next decade, the town experienced sustained growth due to its bountiful mines. More than three-dozen buildings were erected by 1910 including a general store, post office, assay office, three saloons, land commission office, school, and a three-story hotel. Chesaw’s mining finally ebbed by 1914 and the town went the way of its boomtown neighbors finally losing its post office in the late 1940’s.

Only a few buildings remain from Chesaw’s glory days. The old rodeo arena still houses the annual Fourth of July Rodeo. Wood-plank bleachers seat spectators while a minimal wood and wire fence encircles the rodeo ground. Across the street, a tavern and general store are open for business making Chesaw a perfect place to stop for lunch. Grab a greasy burger from the tavern or pre-made sandwiches and cold drinks from the store. Each building is worth a brief visit if not for the food then to see their rustic interiors—the antique potbelly stove in the general store or the rough-wood bar and tractor seat stools at the tavern.

- Thousands of paper bills blanket the ceiling of the Chesaw Tavern. Patrons from all over the world have signed bills of every denomination and left them to adorn the tavern’s ceiling for years.
- The Chesaw school was built between 1905-06. Teachers were paid $35 a month.


Bodie – Elevation 2592

How to get there: Depart Chesaw east on the Chesaw Road (13.5 miles), turn south (right) onto the Toroda Creek Road (4 miles), arrive at Bodie. Distance: 18 miles. Time: 30 minutes.

When gold was discovered in the area, the town of Bodie sprang up in 1898. To accommodate the influx of miners a restaurant, general store, saw mill, livery barn, and blacksmith shop opened for business. The local stamp mill owned and operated by the Perkins Milling Company serviced three area mines: Golden Reward, Bodie, and Golconda. Mining success was sporadic and, during a lull in 1911, the post office closed. However, over the course of nearly forty years of mining, the Bodie Mine is said to have yielded $1,300,000 in gold.

Several abandoned buildings occupy the east side of Toroda Creek Road at the site of Bodie. To the west is a two-story structure said to have served as a general store. Not much is visible from the road (all structures lie on private land) but it’s worth a few minutes to snap some photographs and soak in the silent serenity of the pine forest. Beware of cows on the roads; this is a free-range area.

- The Bodie Mine was owned by the Wrigley Brothers of chewing gum fame from 1902 to 1911.
- Geological reports indicate a substantial gold lode below the levels already mined. In addition, 11,000 tons of waste from the stamp mill (called “tailings”) is estimated to contain nearly 36,000 ounces of gold.


Waucanda – Elevation 3576

How to get there: Depart Bodie south on Toroda Creek Road (9 miles), arrive at Wauconda (junction with Highway 20). Distance: 9 miles. Time: 15 minutes.

Like its neighbors, Wauconda burst onto the scene after gold was discovered in the area in 1898. A population of 300 attracted a general store, three hotels, several saloons, and, in 1901, a post office. Shortly after mail began arriving, the mine failed and closed down. As the miners exited, homesteaders replaced them and a new town emerged two miles north of the original site. A more stable community, the new Wauconda housed a school, post office, church, community hall and other businesses. In 1930, a third site sprang up around the new Highway 20 between Tonasket and Republic.

Numerous buildings still exist from Wauconda’s different eras. The Community Hall is the first building you will encounter 7.5 miles south of Bodie on Toroda Creek Road. This large structure lies on the west side of the road and has functioned as a social hub since it opened in 1917. One mile past the Hall on the southeast side of the road is the Community Church and Old Wauconda School, relics from the second town site. The current town of Wauconda lies less than a mile further on at the junction with Highway 20 and consists of a homestead-era log cabin, general store, restaurant, gas station, and post office. If it’s time for lunch, stop in at the Café and Spaghetti Saloon. Plain white walls with sparse western décor give the café a clean but rustic character. Don’t leave before checking out the quaint post office where a wall of mailboxes serves Wauconda’s geographically dispersed population.

A final point of interest is the Pflug mansion just south of Wauconda on Highway 20. A historical marker on the north side of the road identifies the site. East German immigrants, John and Anna Pflug began building their elaborate home in 1908 but never finished it.

- In the spring of 2010, a couple from Bothell Washington purchased the newest Wauconda town site (including the general store, restaurant, gas station, and post office) for $360,000.
- The USPS renewed the lease on the post office in Wauconda for 20 years.


Plan on devoting 5 to 6 hours for driving time and touring these ghost towns. Several lodging options offer travelers overnight accommodations. The Inn at Molson located just east of the old town is an inviting bed and breakfast with three rooms. Eden Valley Guest Ranch is a working farm west of Havillah that rents ten cabins. Just north of Wauconda, the Bonaparte Lake Resort also offers cabins for rent on a beautiful lakefront.

Whether a daytrip or long weekend, a tour of these ghost towns will leave travelers spellbound by the rich history and hidden grandeur of the Okanogan Highlands.