History Right
Leavenworth Timeline
Leavenworth Timeline:
Prior to 1885: The area is used by native tribes as fishing and hunting grounds
1860’s: A gold rush brings traders and gold hunters to area
1885: White settlers establish a trading post
1890: Town is built on Icicle Flats
1892: JJ Hill of the Great Northern Railway (GNR) begins laying tracks across the Wenatchee Valley and over Stevens Pass
1893: The town is platted by and renamed after Captain Charles F. Leavenworth
1890’s: The Lamb-Davis Sawmill is the first and largest of many sawmills built in the area
1910: Tumwater Canyon is the scene of one of the nation’s worst railway disasters: The Wellington Train Disaster
1920’s: The Lamb-Davis Sawmill is closed and the GNR moves main operations from Tumwater Canyon to Wenatchee
1930’s: With the Great Depression, Leavenworth is left with more than 20 empty storefronts along its two block commercial district
1962: A group of local business people and community organizers meet with the Bureau of Community Development, at University of Washington.
1965: The plan is formed to transform Leavenworth into a Bavarian Village
Mid 1960’s: The first Autumn Leaf and Christmas Lighting Festivals are held
1971: Maifest is added to the Leavenworth Festival Calendar
1996: Projekt Bayern is formed by community leaders to revitalize interest and make Leavenworth more authentically Bavarian in nature
1998: First Oktoberfest
2009: November is the expected date for travelers to once again have the opportunity to visit Leavenworth via rail with the opening of the brand new Icicle Station as a stop for the Empire Builder.
Today: Leavenworth welcomes more than a million visitors throughout a year packed with festivals and events.
