You don’t have to travel to
Germany to experience an authentic Bavarian
Village. The small town of Leavenworth, just
over 100 miles east of Seattle and almost in
the geographic center of Washington state,
is nestled in a picturesque valley below the
majestic Cascade Mountains.
The area is definitely reminiscent of the
Bavarian and Swiss Alps.
This town of about 2,100, which has gone
from boom to bust on a number of occasions,
has become a popular and imaginative getaway
destination or vacation choice for families
and retirees, as well as for retreats,
seminars, conferences, and conventions.
More than 1.5 million visit Leavenworth
annually. City ordinances require buildings
to adhere to the Bavarian appearance code.
Many merchants dress appropriately in
lederhosen, 18th century dirndIs and other
Bavarian clothing called Trachten.
Many festivals
Life in Leavenworth today might be called a
grande festival as there are numerous
traditional Bavarian fests year-round.
These include Maifest, Oktoberfest,
Christkindlmarket and many others with an
American twist such as the Icefest, an
Accordion Celebration, sausage and salmon
gatherings as well as other celebrations and
parades to note the four seasons while
providing fun and frolic for all ages.
Authentic architecture, food, galleries, and
museums add to the creation of a bit of
Europe in America. Art in the Park is a
regular event from May though October, which
helps with scholarships, and school art
funding.
Summer Theatre offers “The Sound of Music”
at Ski Hill, not far from downtown. For more
about cultural events, see
www.leavenwortharts.com.
Leavenworth has literally been transformed
from a desolate, dying, economic disaster
into what Ted Price has called a Miracle
Town in his book detailing the progress of
the area’s award-winning revitalization. He
and his partner Bob Rogers had a big hand in
the transformation which wasn’t easy in this
small community.
History
Leavenworth could also be called a town of
many faces, The earliest inhabitants
included Yakima, Chinook, and Wenatchi
tribes who came from the Columbia River up
the Wenatchee to Icicle River in warmer
months for salmon, berry-picking, and
powwows.
The Gold Rush brought the first white
settlers, followed by early homesteaders in
1890 who called the area “Icicle.” In 1893,
the town site was platted and named after
Captain Charles Leavenworth, Okanogan
Investment Co. president. Great Northern
Railway Co. added to the growing economy.
Shortly after the turn of the century,
Lamb-Davis Lumber Co. established a presence
with a sawmill. Twenty-nine lumber camps
quickly developed. Pear and apple orchards
were also planted as part of a successful
fruit industry development.
The area became a true wild west boom town
complete with unchecked gambling, 13
saloons, and a number of brothels. The two
major employers departed. Lamb-Davis sold
its land holdings. Great Northern Railroad
moved its operations to Wenatchee.
Devastating downturn
This and the Great Depression devastated the
area, sinking it into economic ruin which
continued through the ‘40s and ‘50s.
Progress seemed to pass this community by.
By 1950, 24 empty storefronts lined Front
Street’s two-block strip. Broken glass and
rubble were about all that remained.
Enter partners Price and
Rogers, the former from Oregon and the
latter, a Seattle native. Both had served in
the military in World War II. They loved the
outdoor life, fishing, and skiing in central
Washington. They bought an old restaurant at
Coles Corner about 15 miles out of town in
1960. They developed The Squirrel Tree
Restaurant and later a motel around an
Alpine theme with Bavarian decor.
A new identity
During the next few years, they introduced
the idea of an Old World Village to draw
visitors and put life back into the area.
The Chamber of Commerce established Project
Leavenworth Improvement for Everyone (LIFE)
in cooperation with the University of
Washington.
The idea for an Alpine Village struggled,
gradually gaining support. The Autumn Leaf
Festival was born.
Bob and Ted visited Solvang, a successful
bit of Denmark replica in California. This
served as further inspiration. “I knew in my
heart it could work,” Ted said.
People resisted change, but it appeared
Leavenworth was dying, on the way to
becoming a ghost town if something didn’t
happen.
Earl Petersen, who designed much of Solvang,
was ready for new challenges and offered to
provide designs at no cost. Heinz Ulbricht
from Seattle moved to Leavenworth, sharing
his talent and knowledge. LaVerne Peterson,
hotelier-owner of the old Chikamin,
remodeled and called the newly designed
hotel the Edelweiss and subsequently opened
the Edelweiss Restaurant, serving authentic
Bavarian food. Many in the community came
together and made it happen.
Magic began to unfold. The Seattle Times
carried a front-page story and photo about
the revitalization in summer 1966. New
business opened. Visitors began to come and
have been coming ever since.
Leavenworth received Look Magazine’s “All
American City Award” for 1967. Earlier, the
town had earned a $10,000 first-place award
from the Sears Foundation’s Community
Improvement Program. In 1994, a devastating
fire raged down the canyon to within a few
feet of downtown. Firefighters from 24
states helped save the town.
Shop ‘til you drop
A variety of shops offer European treasures
and gifts for collectors and others. Haus of
Angels, Etc., The Musik Box, Kris Kringl
where it’s Christmas every day, and many
more provide great shopping opportunities.
Bookstores, art galleries, clothing, unique
food items, furniture, and antiques are also
available.
Lodging and Dining
There are two campgrounds, pension hotels,
bed and breakfasts, hotels and luxurious
suites, many inspired by fine European
Country Inns. From family camping to a
romantic getaway place, you can find what
you’re looking for. Check on-line at
www.leavenworth.org or contact the Chamber
of Commerce at (509) 548-5807.
Dining covers the gamut with fast food
places decked out Bavarian-style and
authentic foods offered in Old World
restaurants like Café Mozart, Café Christa
with balcony dining, and King Ludwig’s.
You can also find pizza, other Italian
foods, and Mexican restaurants along with
coffee houses, and much more for every
taste.
Activities for all ages and seasons abound.
In addition to the many festivals and other
events, there is Leavenworth’s Icicle Family
Fun Center with bumper boats, a historical
train ride, miniature golf, an arcade, and a
movie theater.. The Chocolate Factory
provides tours and free samples.
For the sports enthusiast, hiking and biking
are great along the 40-mile Wenatchee River.
Rafting from calm stretches for lazy rides
to class 6 white water is available along
with kayaking, golf, and horseback riding.
During the winter season, sleigh rides,
skiing, and snow boarding opportunities
exist. There is also a year-round
horse-drawn carriage ride through town.
Special attractions
The Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum is well worth
a visit. It features one of the world’s
largest nutcracker collections. There are
more than 5,000 nutcrackers from at least 38
countries.
Arlene and George Wagner of Washington
started the museum in 1996. They have
collected nutcrackers for more than 30
years. Pieces made of porcelain, silver,
bronze, stainless steel, ivory, and wood are
included in the collection that has
miniatures and some that are 7 feet tall.
Many are unique antiques.
Artists from around the world come to sign
and show their latest nutcracker creations.
A short video provides an overview of
nutcracker history explaining that “soup to
nuts” was traditional at an English meal.
Nutcrackers date back several centuries. The
German wooden toy soldier nutcracker
originated in the Czech Republic in the
1800s. Six generations in one family have
been making them, which requires 130 steps
from cutting of the wood to final packaging.
More than 200 million people see “The
Nutcracker” ballet by Tchaikovsky annually.
Arlene, a former ballet teacher, started her
collection because of this ballet.
The Wagners’ donated their collection to the
National Historic Foundation. A book is in
the works, “Probably a two-year project,”
Arlene said. Check out their Web site at
www.nutcrackermuseum.com.
Also Nearby
Two other nearby attractions well-worth
visiting are toward Wenatchee, the apple
capital of the world. The Wenatchee Valley
Museum and Cultural Center includes Indian
and pioneer heritage as well as apple
industry history. The museum includes a
gallery, store, and activities for children.
The many exhibits including the walk-about
pioneer village are fascinating. Special
events take place in May and September.
An Aplets and Cotlets Candy Kitchen tour,
which is part of the Liberty Orchards
business, is another fun side trip. More
than 65,000 visitors take this tour every
year in Cashmere between Leavenworth and
Wenatchee, just off Highway 2. This is the
heart of Washington’s apple industry, which
produces five billion apples a year, half of
the apples eaten in America.
Liberty Orchards is now run by
third-generation Armenians. The late Mark
Balaban and Armen Tertsagian founded the
business in their new homeland. They started
with apples and looked for new ways to use
surplus fruit before it spoiled in an area
where too much bounty created hardship for
orchardists.
Apple dehydration developed and helped the
World War I effort by providing “an apple a
day for the boys over there.” Apple and plum
jams called Applum followed. The business
grew rapidly, providing opportunity for the
second generation.
Next, they developed an apple-walnut candy
recipe similar to an old-county original.
The “Confection of Fairies” came to be known
as Aplets. In time, Cotlets made with
apricots and walnuts joined the line as did
Fruitlets, a mixture of pears, peaches,
almonds, and filberts.
Grapelets became the “official candy of Expo
‘74.” These candies are sold all over and
through a thriving mail order business. For
more information, call 1-800-231-3242.
Sahuarita resident gaël P.
Mustaphá is a free-lance writer for the
Green Valley News.
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The Nutcracker Museum is
handicap accessible.