From Near Ghost Town to Christmas Capital: How Leavenworth Reinvented Itself
A Cascade Mountains community that lost its mines, sawmill and railroad bet on a Bavarian makeover and now draws about three million visitors a year.
By Jennifer Paige · · Originally reported by The Everett Herald
Horses clop down the main street hauling carriages of tourists, the scent of bratwurst and pretzels hangs in the air, and shop windows glitter with sequined reindeer and twirling ornaments. This is Leavenworth, Washington, which has come to be known as the Christmas capital of the Pacific Northwest.
The scene stands in sharp contrast to the town's past. Decades ago, Leavenworth was a near ghost town on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains and counted among the region's poorest communities. Its mines and sawmill had shut down, and the railroad had pulled out as well.
In the 1960s, business owners facing hard times took a serious gamble. With no help from the state or federal government, they borrowed money and began remodeling the downtown to resemble a Bavarian village.
More than 50 years later, the bet has paid off. The town draws hikers, skiers, river rafters, fly-fishers, shoppers and day-trippers from Seattle throughout the year. Matt Cade, president of the Greater Leavenworth Museum, said about three million people visited last year.
That volume of visitors has raised worries about the cost of living. Recent efforts, including some state funding for affordable apartments, have aimed at making sure people who work in the tourism industry can afford to live in the town.
The holiday season is when Leavenworth is at its busiest. In December, the town takes on the warm glow of a German Christmas market, with choirs, carolers, food vendors and a gingerbread house contest. The downtown Christmas lights were once switched on only on Saturday and Sunday evenings, but the weekend crowds grew so large that organizers decided to leave them lit from Thanksgiving through February.
For many families, the town has become a personal tradition. Alison Epsom, of Sultan, visited with her husband, Brian Jolly, and their 8-month-old daughter, Acacia. "Every time I go there, I just feel joy and excitement," Epsom said.
The couple met nearly two decades ago while performing at an international dance festival. Epsom, a native of England, was invited by Jolly to Leavenworth on one of their first dates. "I knew I had one opportunity that she was going to be here and I wanted her to fall in love with me," he recalled.
On the drive through the mountain pass, Epsom asked him to pull over, hopped out without a coat and built a small snowman. "I had never seen that much snow," she said. "So that was absolutely magical to me."
The pair return every year and choose a new ornament for their tree at the Kris Kringl shop downtown. Jolly later proposed to Epsom on a horse-drawn sleigh. This year it was Acacia's turn to pick, with her parents agreeing to buy the first ornament she touched. She grabbed a white owl, which now hangs on the family tree near the red and gold glittered star Epsom chose on their first visit.
