Lake Chelan History

Named for the Indian term meaning “deep beautiful water,” Chelan is one of the deepest lakes in the Unites States. In 1886, the first white settlers moved to Chelan. After the railroad was built a few years later, more and more people began to move to the area. Immediately the lake became a main attraction. When the Belle of Chelan was launched in 1888, boat trips along the lake became popular.

In 1889, Chelan Count was created be the State Legislature out of two other counties. Although new settlers moved in, prosperity was not reached until irrigation was brought to the area. Chelan became a hotspot in 1901 when the Chelan Hotel opened, the current location of the Campbell’s Resort. Twenty-six years later, many lakeside buildings and “Hotel Field” in Stehekin were damaged by flooding when the Chelan Dam was finished and the water level raised 21 feet.

Chelan became famous across the nation in 1944 when a young Elizabeth Taylor starred in “Courage to Lassie”, filmed in Stehekin. The following year on a cold November afternoon a Chelan District School Bus plunged into Lake Chelan more than 200 feet deep after the driver lost control on the icy South Shore Drive. There were 5 survivors, one being an adult. The bus driver and 16 school students drowned 9 bodies never to have been recovered. A monument and memorial park have been built in memory of the students and bus driver who were lost in this tragic incident.

By the mid- 1960s, Chelan started to become a vacation destination for thousands of tourists each year. The primary industries in Chelan are agriculture and tourism. Many orchard owners began to convert their orchards to vineyards in the 1990s. There are now more than 20 wineries in Chelan County.