Ferry County, Washington: History
The Territorial Legislature of Washington Territory first carved Stevens County from Walla Walla County in 1863 to encompass all the land from the Columbia River west to the Cascades and north of the Wenatchee River. On January 20, 1864, the original territorial Spokane County was dissolved and merged with the unorganized Stevens County. On February 2, 1888 the western expanse of territorial Stevens County was sectioned off by dividing the county in half along the Okanogan Highlands crest. Eleven years later, on February 18, 1899, the western section of Stevens County was again sectioned off, this time along the Columbia, to form Ferry County.
The town of Republic is the county's seat of government, as well as the largest town. It was founded at the end of the nineteenth century by gold prospectors and was incorporated in 1900. The original election precinct of Republic was created on April 6, 1898. Following the 1922 primary elections, a group of citizens called for an investigation into possible election irregularities. The group claimed that two of that years voting precincts had been formed unlawfully in conjunction with misconduct in six precincts by election officers and the canvassing board. As a result of the actions, the validity of two candidates were called in question. Demands were made that Thomas F. Barker, seeking re-election as sheriff, and John W. McCool, seeking the County Treasurer seat, be barred from the ballot. Barker was notably facing charges at the federal level at that time from allegations of conspiring and abetting bootleggers.
During the Great Depression several Civilian Conservation Corps camps were opened in the County, with Camp Growden on Sherman Creek, between Sherman Pass and Kettle Falls being the largest and longest running. The Camp was open between 1934 and 1941, while smaller and "spike" camps were seasonally staffed on Boulder Pass, in Republic, near Quartz Mountain, and around Mount Bonaparte to the west.
The original county courthouse, made of wood, burned in 1934. Its replacement, made of concrete and stucco, was under consideration beginning in 2018 for historical preservation.
On August 13, 2001, a series of major wildfires and complexes were ignited by regional lightning storms passing over eastern Washington. Among them was the Mount Leona Fire which burned for several weeks and encompassed over 6,000 acres in the central Kettle River range northeast of Curlew Lake.