Barron - Washington Ghost Town

BARRON

NAME: Barron
COUNTY: Whatcom
ROADS: 2WD
GRID: 6
CLIMATE: Cool winter and summer.
BEST TIME TO VISIT: Anytime.

COMMENTS: Private Property.
REMAINS: Many original buildings.

There were a number of mines discovered in Whatcom County east of the North Cascades summits. Among them were the Azurite Mine and the Gold Hill Mine. Mining camps were common as early as the 1870s but none grew to the size of becoming a town until Barron was founded in 1892. In that year, Alex Barron, an itinerant miner and adventurer, correctly reasoned that the placer or free gold in the streams must come from a mother lode farther upstream. He struck gold near the surface above the settlement that became Barron. He sold his claim for a reported $50,000 to $80,000 and spent the money living a turbulent lifestyle. His find, however, touched off a full-fledged boom that lasted until 1907. By the end of 1907, it was an authentic ghost town. The exodus was so sudden liquor bottles were still sitting on the bar of a saloon, machinery and mining equipment, narrow gauge wagons waiting for ore, ruffled dresses of dancing girls still packed in boxes, even the stock in the general store were abandoned. Today, the property is private, behind a locked gate. Submitted by Henry Chenowith.

There were a number of mines discovered in Whatcom County east of the North Cascades summits. Among them were the Azurite Mine and the Gold Hill Mine. Mining camps were common as early as the 1870s but none grew to the size of becoming a town until Barron was founded in 1892. In that year, Alex Barron, an itinerant miner and adventurer, correctly reasoned that the placer or free gold in the streams must come from a mother lode farther upstream. He struck gold near the surface above the settlement that became Barron. He sold his claim for a reported $50,000 to $80,000 and spent the money living a turbulent lifestyle. His find, however, touched off a full-fledged boom that lasted until 1907. By the end of 1907, it was an authentic ghost town. The exodus was so sudden liquor bottles were still sitting on the bar of a saloon, machinery and mining equipment, narrow gauge wagons waiting for ore, ruffled dresses of dancing girls still packed in boxes, even the stock in the general store were abandoned. Today, the property is private, behind a locked gate. Submitted by Henry Chenowith.

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