The majority of Tonasket's civic facilities are grouped together, with city hall, the public library, the police station, the visitor's centre and a small park are all side-by-side along the east side of the highway, occupying the western half of the city block between 2nd and 3rd Streets. Furthest north of the group is the library/city hall building, set back behind the parking lot and the police station.
The library and city hall share a single building, even sharing an entrance in the centre of the building, with the library in the northern section and city hall in the southern section. It's a relatively new looking building, probably wood frame with a stucco covering.
At the time the writers of the American Guide Series Book,
Washington: a guide to the Evergreen State passed through, the town was somewhat different than today, a more pastoral scene with sheep grazing in the hills and miners still scratching at the earth nearby.
Left on State 4 across a span over the Okanogan River to TONASKET, 0.4 m. (900 alt., 643 pop.), sprawled along the east bank of the Okanogan River on a narrow flat beneath rising hills. It was named for an Okanogan chief and the site was an Indian camping ground. The United States Forest Service maintains a ranger station here. Many sheep graze on the surrounding hills; fields of alfalfa scent the air; apple orchards cover the flats above the town. Some gold, silver, and lead ores are taken from near-by mines.
East of Tonasket on State 4 are vistas of the Okanogan Valley. The road follows the path of Bonaparte Creek and traverses the Colville National Forest.
From Washington: a guide to the Evergreen State, Page 452.
While it has a population of only about 1,000, today Tonasket is the trading centre and transportation hub for a thriving fruit growing area as well as a lumbering region. An ever increasing tourist industry is being successfully cultivated by Tonasket, a town proud of its heritage and of the scenic and
recreational opportunities to be had there. Nearby are many campgrounds, fishing lakes and rivers, hunting areas, Nordic and downhill ski areas, Trail Riding opportunities and Hiking and Nature Walks.
City of Tonasket
Tonasket is a small community located along the eastern bank of the Okanogan River in north central Okanogan County, Washington. The City was named in honor of Chief Tonasket of the Okanogan Indians who historically used the present city site for an encampment. State Highway 97, the main north-south highway through central Washington, bisects the city on its way north to the Canadian border approximately twenty miles north. The City, with an elevation of approximately 900 feet above sea level, is bordered on the north by Siwash Creek, and the south by Bonaparte Creek. The present population is estimated to be approximately 995.
“The City, which has been the site of a U.S. Post Office since 1901, was platted in 1910 and incorporated in 1927.”
Tonasket serves as a hub for agricultural and forestry industries in north central Okanogan County.
It is home to the Offices of the Tonasket Ranger District of the Okanogan National Forest. The city is also increasingly becoming a convenient jumping off point for visitors coming to the area to enjoy the myriad of opportunities for outdoor recreation in the surrounding areas.
Many descendants of pioneer families still reside in Tonasket and the surrounding areas and are interested in preserving and sharing the history of their heritage.
From the City of Tonasket