Winthrop, Washington
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Winthrop is a town in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. It is east of Mazama and north of Twisp. The population was 394 at the 2010 census, and increased to 504 at the 2020 census. Winthrop adopted an
Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...
theme for its downtown architecture in 1971 to prepare for the opening of the North Cascades Highway.


History

Native Americans, including the Methow people, were the first inhabitants of Winthrop, with evidence of human habitation at least 8,000 to 10,000 years before present. They lived along the banks of the Methow and Chewuch rivers, where they harvested camas root and berries, fished, and hunted. The Methow had seasonal camps and returned annually to the upper valley in the summer once they acquired had horses in the 18th century. The Columbia Plateau peoples, including the Methow and
Syilx The Syilx () people, also known as the Okanagan, Suknaqinx, or Okinagan people, are a First Nations in Canada, First Nations and Native Americans in the United States, Native American people whose traditional territory spans the Canada–United St ...
, established routes over Cascade Pass to trade with
Coast Salish The Coast Salish peoples are a group of ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. They speak on ...
tribes in modern-day Skagit Valley. The population of the Methow people and other Columbia Plateau tribes were devastated by
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
epidemics by the 19th century. The tribes under the leadership of Chief Moses were assigned by the federal government to the Columbia Reservation in 1879, which included the Methow Valley. The Columbia Reservation was dissolved by the federal government in 1883 to allow for white settlement of the Methow Valley, which was opened on May 1, 1886. The Methow people were then moved further east to the
Colville Indian Reservation The Colville Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation located in Washington (state), Washington state, U.S. It is inhabited and managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which are List of federally recognized tribes in ...
. The first white residents of the valley were brothers Tom and Jim Robinson, who had a hunting camp at the confluence but later left. A homestead near the modern-day town was claimed in 1887 by James Sullivan and Louisa Sullivan, who built the first hotel in the area; they were followed in 1888 by Walter Frisbee, who established a trading post and blacksmith shop. The Chiliwist Trail between the Okanogan and Methow valleys was the main transportation corridor for the area but was unsuited to wagon travel; it was replaced in 1891 by a pair of new roads funded by settlers in the area that allowed for stagecoach service connecting to Brewster on the
Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...
. The town of Winthrop was founded in 1890 by local settlers. The namesake, according to U.S. Congressman John L. Wilson, is author and explorer Theodore Winthrop, who had published the memoir '' The Canoe and the Saddle'' in 1862 after a visit to
Washington Territory The Washington Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...
. The town's first
trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory in European and colonial contexts, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically a trading post allows people from one geogr ...
and general store was opened in January 1892 by Guy Waring of
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, who moved with his family to the confluence of the Chewuch and Methow rivers a year before. He took over the Winthrop
post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
, which had been established on June 18, 1891, and unsuccessfully attempted to rename the town "Waring" despite local backlash. Waring left the Methow Valley for several years during the
economic depression An economic depression is a period of carried long-term economic downturn that is the result of lowered economic activity in one or more major national economies. It is often understood in economics that economic crisis and the following recession ...
to raise $15,000 in funds for a new venture, the Methow Trading Company. His company acquired almost all of the buildings in the town and opened various businesses, including a
sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
,
gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...
, and a hotel. Waring built a spacious new home, named the "Castle" by local residents, on a hillside overlooking Winthrop; it now serves as the home of the Shafer Museum. Gold was discovered northwest of the Methow Valley near in 1892 and caused a
gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...
that brought 1,000 people to the small settlement of Barron. Winthrop remained the main hub of the upper valley with an industry centered around cattle ranching, logging, and supplying nearby mines. Waring opened the Duck Brand Saloon in 1891 and instituted unusually strict rules that required drunk patrons to leave and prohibited bartenders from talking to patrons. The saloon was among the only structures to survive a major fire in 1893 that destroyed the town but closed in 1910; it was later converted into the town hall.
Owen Wister Owen Wister (July 14, 1860 – July 21, 1938) was an American writer. His novel ''The Virginian (novel), The Virginian'', published in 1902, helped create the cowboy as a folk hero in the United States and built Wister's reputation as the " ...
, Waring's former roommate at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, wrote '' The Virginian'', considered the first American western novel, after honeymooning in Winthrop in 1892 and 1898. Waring continued to expand his business with branch stores in several mining towns as well as
Pateros Pateros, officially the Municipality of Pateros (; ), is the lone municipality of the Philippines, municipality of Metropolitan Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 65,227 people. This munic ...
and Twisp. Most of the Methow Valley was incorporated into the Washington Forest Reserve by an executive order signed by President
Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...
on February 22, 1897. The order prevented further settlement and development of the area around Winthrop, but residents protested due to the area's existing use for agriculture; it was modified in 1901 to remove the valley from the protected area. The townsite of Winthrop was formally
plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...
ted by the Methow Trading Company in 1897 and approved by the county government in 1901. A rival town to the south named Heckendorn was platted in 1904 and had several businesses that eroded Waring's monopoly on the upper Methow Valley. A new road along the Methow River from
Pateros Pateros, officially the Municipality of Pateros (; ), is the lone municipality of the Philippines, municipality of Metropolitan Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 65,227 people. This munic ...
to the town and upper valley was completed by the state government in 1909 using convict labor and modern construction methods. In the 1910s, Winthrop gained
telephone A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most ...
service, a newspaper named the ''Winthrop Eagle'', a school, and a bank. Waring left the area in 1917 after losing control of the Methow Trading Company and a failed attempt at ranching. He sold his "Castle", which was used by a local Episcopal Church and later as a private residence. The
U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's ...
opened a ranger station in the town that same year. Winthrop was incorporated on March 12, 1924, and included the downriver settlement of Heckendorn and a plot of land across the Methow River. The town was threatened by major floods of the river in 1916, 1933, and 1948 that destroyed homes and bridges. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service opened the Winthrop National Fish Hatchery on the Methow River in 1942, which produced salmon and trout to be stocked at local lakes and released into the river. The area around Winthrop developed into a destination for outdoor recreation in the middle of the 20th century with the opening of several dude ranches and resorts. The Sunny M Ranch was established in the 1930s west of the town and expanded under various owners into the Sun Mountain Lodge, which opened in 1968 and encompasses and a luxury hotel. The first plans to build an automobile road across the North Cascades from
Bellingham Bay Bellingham Bay is a bay of the Salish Sea located in Washington State in the United States. It is separated from the Strait of Georgia on the west by the Lummi Peninsula, Portage Island, and Lummi Island. It is bordered on the east by Bellingh ...
to the
Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...
were approved by the state legislature in 1893. Construction of the final across the mountains did not begin until 1961 and was opened to traffic on September 2, 1972. In anticipation of the new highway and the projected tourist traffic through the town, a large-scale remodeling project was approved in 1971 with funding from local businesses organized by sawmill operator Otto Wagner and his wife Kathryn. A two-block section of downtown was rebuilt to use 1890s
Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...
architecture, including false fronts and a wooden
boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway typically built with wooden planks, which functions as a type of low water bridge or small viaduct that enables pedestrians to ...
; by September 1972, 22 buildings had been remodeled. The early design work was contracted to Robert Jorgensen, one of the designers of the Bavarian theme town in Leavenworth, and the project was estimated to cost over $350,000. A design review board was established to maintain the architectural theme, enforced by a "Westernization" ordinance. The wooden façade of the Winthrop Emporium, a major tourist store, was destroyed in a fire in November 1993 and rebuilt the following year. The town's landmark bell was saved from the fire. Plans to build an
open pit Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining, is a surface mining technique that extracts rock or minerals from the earth. Open-pit mines are used when deposits of commercially useful ore or ...
mine for
copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
as well as a
ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...
, named Early Winters Ski Resort, near Mazama were announced in the 1970s but never realized. The town later annexed southwest of the Methow River that would include new residential areas and an industrial zone.


Geography

Winthrop lies in western Okanogan County at the confluence of the Methow and Chewuch rivers in the
Methow Valley The Methow River ( ) is a tributary of the Columbia River in northern Washington in the United States. The river's watershed drains the eastern North Cascades, with a population of about 5,000 people. The Methow's watershed is characterized by ...
. The town is in the eastern foothills of the
Cascade Mountains The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as many of those in the ...
at an elevation of . The Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest and state-managed Methow Wildlife Area surround the Methow Valley. The area includes
sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
formations as well as features that were formed by volcanic activity. Western Okanogan County is prone to wildfires in the summer, which can shut down the North Cascades Highway as well as local businesses reliant on tourism. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has an area of , all land. , there are approximately 722 parcels in Winthrop, of which 258 are
single-family home A single-family detached home, also called a single-detached dwelling, single-family residence (SFR) or separate house is a free-standing residential building. It is defined in opposition to a multi-family residential dwelling. Definitions ...
s and 279 are undeveloped. Winthrop has a lake, Pearrygin Lake, that is a popular swimming hole.


Climate

Like most of the Inland Northwest, Winthrop has a
humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''Dsb''), with cold, snowy winters and very warm summers with cool nights and little rainfall. Winthrop and Mazama recorded the coldest temperature ever measured in Washington state at () on December 30, 1968. The hottest temperature recorded in Winthrop was on June 30, 2021, but frosts can occur even in summer.


Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 394 people, 205 households, and 109 families residing in the town. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 300 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.5%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.5%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.3% Asian, 0.8% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 4.3% of the population. There were 205 households, of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.8% were non-families. 43.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.92 and the average family size was 2.59. The median age in the town was 47.9 years. 17.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.8% were from 25 to 44; 35.4% were from 45 to 64; and 19% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.


Government

Winthrop is a town with a
mayor–council government A mayor–council government is a system of local government in which a mayor who is directly elected by the voters acts as chief executive, while a separately elected city council constitutes the legislative body. It is one of the two most comm ...
. The
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
and five members of the town council are elected to four-year terms; since 2018, Sally Ranzau has been mayor of Winthrop. The town council convenes at meetings held twice a month at the Winthrop Barn. The Westernization Design Review Board is a council-appointed board that oversees the design and architecture of buildings in Winthrop and enforces the "Old West" theme adopted in the 1970s.


Arts and culture


Attractions

Winthrop is known for the
American Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...
design of all its buildings, making it a tourist destination. The town theme idea was inspired by the example of
Leavenworth, Washington Leavenworth is a city in Chelan County, Washington, Chelan County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. It is part of the Wenatchee, Washington, Wenatchee−East Wenatchee, Washington, East Wenatchee Wenatchee-East Wenatchee metropolit ...
, which in turn was heavily based on Solvang, California. Winthrop and the surrounding area has of groomed
cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...
trails. The network radiates out from the nearby community of Mazama. Events include the Winthrop Rhythm and Blues Festival, the Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival, and the Labor Day
Rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...
. The town is home to Three Fingered Jack's, which claims to be the "oldest saloon in Washington". It opened in 1972 but was cited by the state government for use of the word " saloon"; the term's use at bars was legalized by the state legislature in 1979.


Media

The '' Methow Valley News'' is the official
newspaper of record A newspaper of record is a major national newspaper with large newspaper circulation, circulation whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered authoritative and independent; they are thus "newspapers of record by reputation" and i ...
for the town government and is published weekly in Twisp. It was founded in 1903 and had a circulation of 3,400 in 2013. The ''Methow Valley Journal'', also known as the ''Winthrop Journal'', was published in Winthrop by Bill Brinkerhoff from 1912 to 1942. Winthrop's
public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...
is operated by NCW Libraries, a regional system that serves three counties in Central Washington. The original library was a small building at Mack Lloyd Park that was routinely overcrowded and had the highest per-capita use in the system. Plans to build a larger library were led by a non-profit organization that formed in 2017 to raise funds for the project. The Winthrop Library opened on June 11, 2022, and is owned by the town government. The building has six times more floor space than the former library and includes public art, meeting rooms, and a kitchen. It cost $6.5 million to construct with funding from donations and a state grant. The former library was converted into a visitor center by the town government and local
chamber of commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...
in 2023.


Balloon Roundup

Winthrop hosts the annual "Winthrop Balloon Roundup", a three‑day
hot air ballooning Hot air ballooning is the recreational and competitive Extreme sport, adventure sport of flying hot air balloons. Attractive aspects of balloon (aircraft), ballooning include the exceptional quiet (except when the propane burners are firing), th ...
festival held in the late winter months, typically scheduled for the first weekend of March. The Methow Valley had been identified as a suitable location for year-round hot-air ballooning in the 1980s and the Balloon Roundup was first held in 1997 as a hobbyist event for pilots. The festival expanded into a public event with no admission fee supplemented by paid events, including rides. The Balloon Roundup includes morning rides along the Methow River, an evening "Balloon Glow" with tethered and stationary displays, and other events.


Education

The town is served by the Methow Valley School District, which was established from a consolidation of the Twisp and Winthrop school districts in 1973. The school district's campus, located between the two towns, comprises Liberty Bell Junior-Senior High School and Methow Valley Elementary.


Infrastructure


Transportation

Winthrop is bisected by State Route 20, also known as the North Cascades Highway, which closes annually during the winter months between Ross Dam near Diablo and Silver Star Creek near Mazama. State Route 20 follows Riverside Avenue through the town and crosses the Methow River on a
truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements, typically straight, may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...
that was built in 1929. The highway connects Winthrop to
North Cascades National Park North Cascades National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in Washington (state), Washington. At more than , it is the largest of the three National Park Service units that comprise the No ...
and the Skagit Valley to the west and Omak to the east. In 2023, State Route 20 carried a daily average of 4,700vehicles at the Methow River Bridge. , there are a total of 459 public
parking space A parking space, parking place or parking spot is a location that is designated for parking, either paved or unpaved. It can be in a parking garage, in a parking lot or on a city street. The space may be delineated by road surface markings. The ...
s on streets in Winthrop and in off-street lots.
Public transit Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of wh ...
service is provided by TranGO, which operates buses from Winthrop to Mazama, Twisp, and Pateros every 2 hours with onward connections to other cities in Okanogan County. The route was originally limited to Winthrop, Twisp, and Pateros when it launched in 2016, but was extended to Mazama in 2023. is located south of Winthrop and is owned by the
Washington State Department of Transportation The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT or WashDOT, both ) is a governmental agency that constructs, maintains, and regulates the use of transportation infrastructure in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. Establi ...
(WSDOT). It has a asphalt runway and is listed in the
National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) is an inventory of U.S. aviation infrastructure assets. With the Airport and Airway Improvement Act of September 3, 1982, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was required to develop a ...
maintained by the
Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...
. The U.S. Forest Service constructed the airstrip in the 1930s and used it as one of the first facilities to train smokejumpers for wildland firefighting beginning in 1939. It was officially designated for smokejumper use in 1945 and had expanded facilities constructed until the primary training center was moved to
Redmond, Oregon Redmond is a city in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. The population was 33,274 at the 2020 census, and according to 2023 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 37,009. The city is on the eastern side of Oregon ...
, in 1981.


Utilities

Electric power Electric power is the rate of transfer of electrical energy within a electric circuit, circuit. Its SI unit is the watt, the general unit of power (physics), power, defined as one joule per second. Standard prefixes apply to watts as with oth ...
in the town and surrounding area is provided by the Okanogan County Electric Co-op (OCEC), a nonprofit
cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomy, autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned a ...
that serves northwestern Okanogan County rather than the Okanogan County Public Utility District. OCEC, which is headquartered near Winthrop, was founded in 1939 and primarily purchases its electricity from the federal
Bonneville Power Administration The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is an American federal agency operating in the Pacific Northwest. BPA was created by an act of United States Congress, Congress in 1937 to market electric power from the Bonneville Dam located on the Col ...
, which manages several
hydroelectric dam Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
s in the Pacific Northwest. The cooperative has a subsidiary that delivers
propane Propane () is a three-carbon chain alkane with the molecular formula . It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, but becomes liquid when compressed for transportation and storage. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum ref ...
for heating and acquired a local
internet service provider An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides a myriad of services related to accessing, using, managing, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, no ...
, Methownet, in 2024. Landline telephone service is provided by CenturyLink, while several carriers have
mobile broadband Mobile broadband is the marketing term for Wireless broadband, wireless Internet access via mobile network, mobile (cell) networks. Access to the network can be made through a portable modem, wireless modem, or a Tablet computer, tablet/smartp ...
service in the area. The town government maintains a
water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...
system that supplies drinking water to residents and businesses within Winthrop. The town sources its water from a
well A well is an excavation or structure created on the earth by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...
and has of pipes in its
water distribution system A water distribution system is a part of water supply network with components that carry potable water from a Water treatment, centralized treatment plant or wells to consumers to satisfy residential, commercial, industrial and fire fighting requi ...
, which also includes a storage
reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...
and a pump station. Winthrop also sells its water for
firefighting Firefighting is a profession aimed at controlling and extinguishing fire. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter or fireman. Firefighters typically undergo a high degree of technical training. This involves structural fir ...
but does not regularly supply residents outside of the town limits who rely on their own wells; the town had conservation restrictions on water use during periods of prolonged droughts prior to upgrades to the water system made in the 1990s. The number of customers supplied by Winthrop's water system is also managed by the Washington State Department of Health, which places a cap on the number of authorized connections. Winthrop's
sanitary sewer A sanitary sewer is an underground pipe or tunnel system for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings (but not stormwater) to a sewage treatment plant or disposal. Sanitary sewers are a type of gravity sewer and are part of ...
system was constructed in 1971 and expanded to by 2015, with service to Sun Mountain Resort and other areas outside the town itself. The
wastewater treatment plant Wastewater treatment is a process which removes and eliminates contaminants from wastewater. It thus converts it into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle. Once back in the water cycle, the effluent creates an acceptable impact on ...
south of the town has an aerated lagoon and chlorination system that discharges treated water into the Methow River. The plant was upgraded in 1992 and is planned to be replaced by an adjacent facility with a sludge treatment system by 2027.
Solid waste Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. "Garbage" can also refer specifically to food waste, ...
collection is contracted to a private company, WasteWise, that serves most of the Methow Valley; the non-profit organization Methow Recycles is contracted to provide curbside
recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. This concept often includes the recovery of energy from waste materials. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the propert ...
pickup. Winthrop also has a commercial
compost Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by Decomposition, decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and man ...
ing facility that opened in 2023 and collects materials from restaurants and residences.


Healthcare

The first medical clinic in Winthrop was the Country Clinic, opened in 2000 by a family physician. It was acquired by the Wenatchee-based Confluence Health system in 2015 and renamed to the Methow Valley Clinic. The town's nearest
general hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
s are Mid-Valley Hospital in Omak and Three Rivers Hospital in Brewster. Three Rivers is operated by a
public hospital A public hospital, or government hospital, is a hospital which is government owned and is predominantly funded by the government and operates predominantly off the money that is collected from taxpayers to fund healthcare initiatives. In almost al ...
district that encompasses most of western Okanogan County, including Winthrop.


References


External links

*
Winthrop Chamber website
{{Authority control Towns in Okanogan County, Washington Towns in Washington (state) Populated places in the Okanagan Country