Blewett

Gold had been discovered in Peshastin Creek as far back as the 1870's and mining had been done on a small scale until the 1890's when large hoards of miners descended on Peshastin Creek. In 1891, the wagon Road from Cle Elum was completed with the miners volunteering time to work on the road. This road would be their only access to supplies in Cle Elum. 

By 1899, the mining camp of Blewett had grown into a small town and the first general store and hotel were erected. Mail service began a short time later. The town was a rowdy place and lawlessness was the rule not the exception. The town had a reputation as one of the most disorderly and violent towns in Chelan County. Murders in the street over claim boundary disputes were not uncommon.

During a heavy rain and snow melt in December of 1896, all of the bridges and roads leading to the Swauk and Peshastin mines had been washed out and the roads were impassible. The town of Blewett was now isolated until crews could repair the damage. The town was short on supplies and had could hold out for about 6 weeks. The town did survive.

By 1900, Blewett had many mining companies and stamp mills. The Warrior General Mining Company, the Meteor Mining Company, the Allen Mason Hydraulic Mining Company and the Polepick Mining Company of Chicago, to name a few. In 1905, the Meteor Mining Company built the largest and oldest stamp mill in the state.

In the 1900's and the wagon road had been extended to Wenatchee and Blewett became a stage stop for the tri-weekly stages. In 1908 the wagon road to Wenatchee became a section of State Road No. 7 and Autos would begin traveling the old wagon road between Blewett and Wenatchee. The road over Blewett Pass was still very crude and dangerous and it would not begin to have much traffic until 1919 when the Sunset Highway came through. Blewett saw more traffic and that brought more business to town. Blewett soon became a rest stop for motorists going across the state. The highway through Blewett was paved in the 1920's and it continued to prosper until the mid 1950's.

Things came to end in 1956, when construction of the new highway over Swauk Pass began and Blewett was torn down to make way for the new highway. Today nothing remains but a section of the old highway bridge abutments and a historical marker about the stamp mill.