Drive guide
US-2 — Sultan to Leavenworth
11 things worth knowing along this corridor, in the order you meet them driving. Every one is sourced.
Sal reads these as you pass them, and answers when you ask.
Start a withby driveAlong the way
historyWallace River
The Wallace River, with its headwaters in the snowy ridges of the Wild Sky Wilderness above the falls, takes its name from Skykomish Indigenous homesteaders Joe and Sarah Kwayaylsh (misspelled and mispronounced as “Wallace”), whose allotment homestead was located on the river below the falls.
Source: parks.wa.gov
historyOtto Lewis and the Gold Bar Lumber Company
The town's most prominent early settler was Otto Lewis (1861-1926), who had been postmaster at Wallace (now Startup) before moving with his family to Gold Bar in 1898. Purchasing a large amount of land, Lewis built a home, donated land for a two-story schoolhouse and a church, and developed the Gold Bar Lumber Company, which soon became the town's main employer. In 1906, he sold the company to a buyer from Alaska, and the Lewises moved to California.
Source: historylink.org
historySkykomish villages at Gold Bar
There were seven villages between what are now Monroe and Index, including a large permanent village where Gold Bar is today.
Source: historylink.org
historyGoldbar post office
By 1899 there were enough settlers in town to establish a post office under the name "Goldbar," spelled as one word, and Otto Lewis became its first postmaster. Post-office listings for the town continued to be spelled as one word until 1951.
Source: historylink.org
seasonalGold Dust Days
The city hosts an annual festival, named Gold Dust Days, over a weekend in late July that includes a parade, a street fair with vendors and food, live music, a car show, and a beauty pageant. It was founded in 2007 and also has events to commemorate the history of the Skykomish Valley, such as gold panning demonstrations and historical reenactments of battles.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
historyGreat Northern construction camp at Gold Bar
In 1892, Gold Bar was the site of one such camp. The railroad had become a steady presence, maintaining extensive shops and a railyard in the town.
Source: historylink.org
historyGold Bar incorporation
On September 16, 1910, Gold Bar officially becomes a municipal corporation of the fourth class. Three months earlier on June 12, local voters approved a measure to incorporate the small Snohomish County logging, railroading, and mining town.
Source: historylink.org
sightMay Creek
It receives three large tributaries in short order before passing under the Stevens Pass Highway, Olney Creek, May Creek and Bear Creek.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
institutionReiter Pond
Five hatcheries on Puget Sound rivers, including Wallace River, Reiter Pond in Gold Bar and Whitehorse near Darrington, can release the fish under the permit issued by NOAA Fisheries, the federal agency whose mission includes protecting endangered fish species and marine habitat.
Source: heraldnet.com
institutionReiter Foothills ORV Park
The plan sets aside eastern portions of the forest for off-road vehicles, ATVs and motorcycles. Those areas reopened in 2012.
Source: heraldnet.com
historyReiter
A post office called Reiter was established in 1906, and remained in operation until 1918. The community was named after Charles G. Reiter, a businessperson in the mining industry.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Landscape you can see from the road
| Feature | Type |
|---|---|
| Alpine Baldy | Summit |
| Alpine Creek | Stream |
| Alpine Falls | Falls |
| Anderson Creek | Stream |
| Anthracite Creek | Stream |
| Arrowhead Mountain | Summit |
| Austin Creek | Stream |
| Barclay Creek | Stream |
| Beckler Peak | Summit |
| Beckler River | Stream |
| Big Chief Mountain | Summit |
| Bitter Creek | Stream |
Stops along this corridor
| Kind | Count |
|---|---|
| restaurant | 106 |
| park | 71 |
| bar | 61 |
| coffee | 45 |
| grocery | 30 |
| peak | 20 |
| viewpoint | 10 |
| fast food | 10 |
| attraction | 5 |
| museum | 5 |
| waterfall | 3 |
| memorial | 1 |
Where to eat along this corridor
Town by town, what is actually within a short detour of the highway.
- Airway Heights — 41 places to eat
- Davenport — 7 places to eat
- Gold Bar — 8 places to eat
- Leavenworth — 73 places to eat
- Monroe — 69 places to eat
- Newport — 10 places to eat
- Skykomish — 5 places to eat
- Spokane — 39 places to eat
- Sultan — 18 places to eat
- Waterville — 8 places to eat
Coverage
withby narrates 0 map cells on this corridor today.
Sal reads these as you pass them, and answers when you ask.
Start a withby drive