Winthrop, WA

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You may pull in to Winthrop and think *tourist trap*! You wouldn't be entirely wrong…but there's so much history here! Sure, the old-style, 1890s Western facades and wooden plank sidewalks were actually retrofitted just in time for the 1972 completion of the tourist-delivering North Cascades Scenic Highway. But Winthrop really was a frontier town back in the day, and what a brilliant way to get folks to stop, especially since the Highway leads straight through town. Actually, it makes a 90° turn in the centre, so everyone *has* to stop! If you're going to go tourist trap, embrace it like crazy, and if you pull it off half as well as Winthrop, you'll be doing well! • • I loved every bit of what they've done, and plenty more pics are coming, but my favourite tidbit of all is the Okanogan County Historical Society's town history sign. Read it! (and forgive the typo – the darn thing looks hand-carved) My goodness, three Ivy League grads, one a liquor-hating saloon owner, and the birthplace of the Western novel. A colourful history, indeed. One that absolutely deserves a retrofitted Western facade to get people to stop, learn, and enjoy! 🤠 • • #western #wildwest @winthropwa #history #cascadeloop #methowvalley #funstop #visitwashington #feelingloopy

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