The mining town of Blewett sat at this site in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

This is marker number 25 on WSDOT’s website, and is located on State Route 97 (Blewett Pass Highway) Northbound at milepost 174, about 11 miles south of the junction with US 2. It is on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places. More information and photos about the history of Blewett and the mining operations can be found at https://oldblewett.blogspot.com/.

GOLD! In 1860, when word of its discovery spread, prospectors rushed to pan the gravels here in Peshastin Creek. A century ago, 200 to 300 people lived and worked in this narrow valley. The town of Blewett once stood around this very spot.

By 1874, the early placer workings had played out, but veins of gold had been found. This brought on a boom of hard-rock mining. Thousands of feet of tunnels were burrowed into the hills. In 1879, the mining district was connected to the outside world with the construction of a wagon road to Cle Elum.

The community was called Warner with establishment of a post office in 1893, but the name was changed to Blewett later that same year. It was named after Edward Blewett of Seattle, whose Gold Mining Company controlled many of the claims. Buildings included a school, two-story hotel and boarding house, stores, saloon, telegraph, frame and log homes. A road to Peshastin was completed in 1898, and stage lines ran three days a week.

Blewett Historical Marker Locator Map: Google Maps