The Stehekin Community

Perhaps the most frequent question asked by tourists to a person who
looks like he or she “belongs” (whatever that look might be) to
Stehekin is, “Do you live here all year?” There would have been
somewhere around 85 residents that would have answered yes to that
question last winter. Questions that follow quickly on the heels of
that one, especially if it is answered yes, are, “Doesn’t it get cold
in the winter?” and “How much snow do you get?” Cold is a relative
thing. It gets colder in Stehekin than in Seattle but not as cold as
in Chelan. The climate seems to be a mixture of the marine west-side
influence and the drier east-side climate. West-siders will be
interested to know Stehekin receives approximately the same amount of
precipitation as Seattle, BUT about half of it is snow. Winters vary
with four to seven feet of standing snow being within expectations.

The 89 residents are scattered over nine miles of valley in 30-plus
households. These homes rely on wood for their heat and most use
power from the PUD hydroelectric plant on Company Creek. The interesting
variety of vehicles viewed upon arrival in Stehekin is a direct result of the nine-mile scattering of these households. Rarely does a family rely on one vehicle to provide
transportation and even more rare is a recent Detroit model in this
fleet of vintage vehicles. All these vehicles have come to Stehekin
on the self-propelled barge operated by the Lake Chelan Boat Company
or via Tom Courtney’s barge service. The barges make weekly runs
during the summer bringing fuel, building supplies, household goods, and a
variety of large items necessary to the residents’ existence. Smaller
items such as groceries are brought on the passenger boat. The
standard approach to grocery buying is to develop a precise list of
needs and mail it, along with your check, to one of the grocery
stores in Chelan. The order is put up by the store, picked up by the
Boat Company and delivered to Stehekin on the day specified with the
order. The schedule of ordering groceries varies with each family and
its needs.

Community services provided include a school with grades kindergarten
through eighth and a U.S. Post Office. There are no telephones within
the valley with the exception of radio phones. TV is received by
those who have installed satellite dishes; radio reception varies
with atmospheric conditions.

Some visitors are more interested in what we do in Stehekin than how
we exist. So, questions like, “What do you do for work?” and “What do
you do all winter?” are frequently asked. First, and most time-
consuming is surviving and providing for the physical needs of life.
Wood stoves take lots of wood, gardens are grown and food preserved.
Food preparation is more time-consuming as convenience foods are
rarely used or even available. Repairs must be coped with, snow must
be shoveled and vintage vehicles take constant care. That just hits
some of the activities that take up the day. Rarely will you run
across someone living here with spare time on his or her hands; for
if there is spare time, this group of people have active minds and
creative talents. There is a wonderful variety of hand-crafted items
produced to stock the shelves of The House That Jack Built, the local
craft outlet. There are several writers with published books as well as
others who produce  publications, such as the Stehekin Choice newspaper
to which many  valley residents contribute. Those with musical talent have
undertaken to produce a musical extravaganza known as the Trillium
Festival held every May. From stamp collecting to ham radio to fly-
tying to photography, the interests are as varied as anywhere and
possibly more thoroughly developed and enjoyed. Some folks also find
time for full-time employment with the National Park Service or as
teacher, postmaster or powerplant operator. Others provide seasonal
services necessary to the tourist industry.
There are surely questions about living in Stehekin that remain
unanswered. If you have one of these questions, why not mosey into
one of the places of business advertised in this guidebook, find
yourself someone with that “Stehekin look” and get your answer
firsthand from someone who knows.

J. R. Moore established the Moore Hotel, located at Moore Point, in
1889. The Moores had their own hydropower system, which was put in
in the 90’s. They had a large hayfield and orchard as well as garden
and cows, chickens and pigs for meat and dairy projects. The hotel
survived through a number of owners until the fall of 1957 when it
burned to the ground.

Stehekin Is ...	Community	Points of Interest
Rainbow Falls	The Old School House	Valley Road
Recreational Activities	Fishing	Winter
Riding/Hiking	Hikes	Fjord Horses
Buckner Orchard