SELKIRK LOOP SELKIRK LOOP - International Selkirk Loop

newport • Oldtown
WaShInGton / Idaho
newport • Oldtown Lupines at Calispell Creek (tim Cady)
Newport, located at the junction of U.S.
Highway 2 and Washington State Highway
20, features historic Washington Avenue as its
“main street,” where some shops display a plaque
showing the name of the original business and
its date. Many buildings are constructed of
locally made bricks. Plan to visit the Newport /
Oldtown Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center
and the adjacent Pend Oreille County Historical
Society Museum to pick up the booklet “Historic
Tour of Newport.” Both the visitor center and
museum are located in Centennial Plaza, which
was built to celebrate the Washington State
Centennial in 1989.
The museum’s exhibits in several outbuildings
showcase the area’s history. Look for the
“Big Wheel,” a 16-foot, steam-driven sawmill
generator, and the gazebo with picnic area, summer
flower displays and winter holiday lights.
Newport is the county seat of Pend Oreille
(pon-duh-ray) County, Washington’s 39th and
youngest county. Formed in 1911, it was originally
part of Stevens County. The town began as
Newport, Idaho, in 1889 when Mike Kelly erected
a log building on the banks of the Pend Oreille
River. In 1892, a post office was added to Kelly’s
store, and mail was brought in from Rathdrum,
Idaho, via Blanchard. Original transportation
depended on the riverboats until the Idaho and
Washington Northern Railroad was extended
from Newport to Metaline Falls in 1910. The
arrival of the Great Northern Railroad in 1892
started Newport’s move from the Idaho side to
the Washington side of the state line. Today, the
businesses and residential areas are divided by
the state line. Oldtown, Idaho, is also the start
Salish Pow-Wow (tim Cady)
www.selkirkloop.org 13
N