Molson is in

Okanogan County, Washington Okanogan County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington along the Canada–U.S. border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,104. The county seat is Okanogan, while the most populous city is Omak. It is the largest ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. By road, the community is 15.1 miles east of

Oroville Oroville may refer to: * Oroville, California, United States * Oroville, Washington, United States ;Other uses * Lake Oroville, in Butte County, California, USA * Oroville Dam, in Butte County, California, USA * Oroville Municipal Airport, in Butt ...

. The

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

of Old Molson is 1.7 miles south of the

Canada–United States border The international border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world by total length. The boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Canada' ...

Name origin

Molson was founded in 1900 by promoter George B. Meacham, and investor John W. Molson, a member of the

Molson family The Molson family of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, was founded by John Molson, who immigrated to Canada in 1782 from his home in Lincolnshire, England. They are considered to be one of Canada's most prominent business families with a combined net w ...

, and officer of the

Molson Bank The Molsons Bank was a Canadian bank founded in Montreal, Quebec, by brothers William (1793–1875) and John Molson, Jr. (1787–1860), the sons of brewery magnate John Molson. Operations In 1837, the bank opened and issued its first banknotes. ...

Mining boom & bust

The Molson post office was established July 14, 1900, with Walter F. Schuyler as first postmaster. That year, the population peaked at about 300. Erected were three general stores, a drugstore, three saloons, dance hall, livery, blacksmith, assay office, and hotel. A newspaper, attorney, and doctor, served the community. Having invested $170,000, the Molson company withdrew backing. In June 1901, only 12 residents remained. The Hotel Tonasket, named after Chief Tonasket of the Okanogan people, comprised three stories and 34 rooms, burned to the ground in 1924. Limited mining continued intermittently in the area until 1938.

Railroad expansion

In anticipation of the railroad arrival, the town revived. In October 1905, the westward advance of the

Great Northern Railway Great Northern Railway or Great Northern Railroad may refer to: Australia * Great Northern Railway (Queensland) in Australia * Great Northern Rail Services in Victoria, Australia *Central Australia Railway was known as the great Northern Railway ...

(GN) reached Bridesville, BC, and crossed the border to Molson, with passenger service commencing the next month. The train station was the highest in the state. To the west, Molson Hill was one of the steepest sections of track, on the descent to Oroville, from where passenger service commenced in February 1907. Molson station was 5.0 miles southwest of Bridesville, and 7.1 miles east of Nine Mile.

New Molson

Contention with townsite owner J.H. McDonald prompted residents and commerce to relocate a half mile north across the railroad track to establish New Molson in 1909. Replacing the Molson Hotel, which burned down in 1910, the 23-room New Imperial Hotel was erected in 1911. Renamed the New Wallace Hotel in 1916, the building burned down in 1923. The town mushroomed, but collapsed during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. Railroad track abandoned was Molson–Oroville in 1931, and

Curlew The curlews () are a group of nine species of birds in the genus ''Numenius'', characterised by their long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. The English name is imitative of the Eurasian curlew's call, but may have been infl ...

–Molson in 1935. The location settled into becoming a quiet agricultural community. The post office was discontinued in August 1967, with mail services directed to Oroville.

Central Molson & Old Molson

In the 1950s, the school (in Central Molson) had 110–120 pupils. The historic building now houses the Molson Schoolhouse Museum. Displays include hand tools, household artifacts and photographs. In 1960, two blocks south, Harry Sherling established the Old Ghost Town Museum at the original townsite. The mainly open-air setting comprises pioneer buildings, farm machinery, mining equipment and other historic artifacts. Admission to both locations is by donation.

Footnotes

References

External links

Okanogan Highland Ghost Towns
at

Atlas Obscura ''Atlas Obscura'' is an United States, American-based travel and exploration company. It was founded in 2009 by author Joshua Foer and documentary filmmaker/author Dylan Thuras. It catalogs unusual and obscure travel destinations via professiona ...

{{Authority control Ghost towns in Washington (state) Ghost towns in Okanogan County, Washington Geography of Okanogan County, Washington Populated places established in 1900 Populated places in the Okanagan Country Museums in Okanogan County, Washington Open-air museums in Washington (state) 1900 establishments in Washington (state)