The little city of Republic has reincarnated itself as a tourist destination over the course of the past couple of decades. The city has restored many of its historic buildings, creating a streetscape reminiscent of the Republic of the early 1900s. One of the major projects undertaken was the creation of a series of murals, a project of the Republic and Area Chamber of Commerce. Each mural in the city chronicles a distinct aspect of the history of the area and is accompanied by a textual explanation of the mural's theme.
This mural, across from the Ferry County Museum in North Keane Street Park, tells us of the opening of northern Ferry County to homesteading. It is untitled.
A relatively complete history of Republic can be found at
History Link.
During the last half of the 19th century, this area was favored for summer pasturage by the Okanogan Indians In 1884-85 Chief Joseph Tonasket drove his herds to permanently remain in the Curlew-Sanpoil Valleys. By the end of the century several Indian and Metis families raised Timothy Hay to feed their cattle and horses.
Then at 12:00 noon on October 10, 1900, the official opening of the north half of the country to homesteading was announced by the Republic Fire Bell. Within a short time homesteader beef and dairy cattle dotted the hillsides. Beef ranching continues to be a major county industry.