PC: Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
Once a thriving silver-mining settlement with more than 1,000 residents, Ruby City was at the centre of Washington’s mining boom in the late 19th century. The First Thought mine eventually developed more than 4,000 feet of underground passages across three levels and produced silver ore valued at more than $2.5 million in 2025 terms, according to Washington State Parks. Nearly $300,000 worth of these checks were once in circulation across central Washington and British Columbia, according to the state parks account.
Because it had limited supplies of US cash, sam Lichtenstadter opened the Bank of Ruby, which issued distinctive pink checks.
The site preserves the history of a once-busy community whose fortunes rose and fell with the silver rush, according to the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. Prospectors, investors and businesses flocked to the town as silver discoveries fuelled hopes of prosperity. However, declining silver prices, limited mineral deposits and high transport costs eventually brought its mining industry to a halt. Ruby City’s growth extended beyond its mines. Businesses supplied goods and services to the mining population, while the town developed financial and social establishments. The town also had a brewery and several saloons, including the Mother Lode Saloon, the Office Saloon, the Silver Corner, the Snug Saloon and the Bachelors Saloon.
Today, the former settlement is known as Old Ruby State Park Heritage Site, where forested hills and tall ponderosa pines surround a townsite with no standing buildings remaining.
Ruby City briefly became the seat of the newly established Okanogan County in 1888. The Washington Territorial Legislature approved the creation of the county on 2 February that year, and the county commissioners met to organise its government in March. Ore was typically hauled by wagon for 45 miles to Brewster, transferred to riverboats for an 80-mile journey to Wenatchee, and then moved onto railway cars bound for smelters in Tacoma or Montana. The Sherman Silver Purchase Act, enacted by the US Congress on 14 July 1890, increased the federal government’s required silver purchases and gave mining activity a temporary boost. Together with global economic trends, this helped bring about the Panic of 1893. By 1904, only a few deteriorating buildings remained.
In 1890, the Ruby Land Company described it as the “business center of the greatest mining region in the State of Washington”, highlighting its business activity and a reported monthly payroll of $10,000. The silver-bearing veins extended only limited distances, restricting the amount of ore that could be extracted, according to Washington State Parks. Ellensburg mayor Austin Mires visited in August 1899 and recorded that “the town was entirely deserted”.
Ruby City was selected as the county seat, but voters later chose to transfer that position to Conconully. The town’s promoters continued to advertise its commercial importance. Despite these claims, Ruby remained remote, and attempts to secure railway service or better roads were unsuccessful. The limitations of the mineral deposits became increasingly apparent within a decade of Ruby City’s founding. Transport expenses also reduced the profitability of mining. The commission also identifies wider economic developments as a factor in the town’s collapse. However, the agency explains that the resulting increase in circulating dollars, without corresponding growth in government gold stocks, eventually contributed to a fall in silver prices. Mining operations in Ruby City subsequently failed.