a bavarian village

There is something in October sets the gypsy blood astir, 

We must rise and follow her; 

When from every hill of flame, 

She calls and calls each vagabond by name”

~William Bliss Carman

All things on earth point home in old October; 

sailors to sea, travellers to walls and fences, 

hunters to field and hollow and the long voice of the hounds, 

the lover to the love he has forsaken.

~Thomas Wolfe

October is crisp days and cool nights, 

a time to curl up around the dancing flames 

and sink into a good book...

...or take a trip with good friends to the little Bavarian village of Leavenworth.  Located east of the Cascades, it is an easy day trip from the metropolitan centers of Western Washington.  The meandering drive over the mountains and through lush pastures and orchards is absolutely stunning in the fall. 

The story of Leavenworth is a testament to the determination of the human spirit. The odds of a dying timber and rail town successfully converting itself into an alpine Bavarian village are pretty slim. Nonetheless, the townspeople of Leavenworth found a way to do it. This is their story...

Leavenworth’s history does not begin with the alpine tradition it knows today, but with the proud heritage of the Yakima, Chinook and Wenatchi tribes. The Native American tribes lived by hunting the land for deer and elk, as well as fishing Icicle Creek for salmon. Surrounded by some of the most beautiful and bountiful lands in North America, the three tribes co-existed from Lake Wenatchee to the Icicle and beyond.

The area was eventually settled by pioneers in search of gold, furs and fertile farmland. Stakes were claimed, land was tracked, and the Leavenworth area was soon bustling with settlers. By 1890, the original town was built on the Icicle Flats.

But it wasn’t until the end of the century when the town began to blossom with the arrival of the rail line. The Great Northern Railway Company’s tracks through Leavenworth brought with them opportunities for work, commerce and a new economy.

A sawmill and a healthy logging industry eventually fell apart, however, when the Great Northern Railway Company pulled out of Leavenworth. The re-routing of the railroad and the subsequent closure of the sawmill sadly converted the town from a bustling, thriving hub of commerce into a hollow, empty community. For more than thirty years, Leavenworth lived on the brink of extinction.

But in the early 1960’s, everything changed. In a last-chance effort to turn their precarious situation around, the leaders of the community decided to change Leavenworth’s appearance, hoping to bring tourism into the area. Using the beautiful backdrop of the surrounding Alpine hills to their advantage, the town agreed to remodel their hamlet in the form of a Bavarian village.

Hoping to create more than a mere facelift, the entire community rallied to create the illusion of Bavaria in the middle of Washington state. Besides the complete renovation of the downtown area, community members worked to begin a series of festivals. The Autumn Leaf Festival, Maifest and the extremely popular Christmas Lighting Ceremony were the first of many attractions Leavenworth offered to passers-by.

And it worked!! Since the change to a Bavarian motif, Leavenworth has become a pillar of the tourism industry in the Pacific Northwest. Today, more than a million tourists come to Leavenworth each year, each visitor finding their own individual love affair with the community. The story is a landmark case of the human spirit: Not only did the people of Leavenworth survive their most critical hour, but they endured.

The future of Leavenworth is as hopeful as its past is inspiring. The people of Leavenworth have created a civic spirit that drives future growth and community development. The most current project is to realize a long held dream of many, to establish a Leavenworth Civic Center. This center will be home to theater, business and commercial functions, and town festivals and events.

Leavenworth will continue to grow and expand as the most outstanding Bavarian village this side of the Atlantic. The people of Leavenworth are the towns biggest asset and it is those people that will continue to make Leavenworth “the little town that could.”

~taken from The Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce website