Bossburg: Young America

Bossburg: Young America

In 1888 silver was discovered in the hills above the northern part of the Columbia River. The Young America mine was established and drew miners and their families. Soon the mining company established a stamp mill and the steady increase in population prompted the development of a small town by the name of Millington. In 1892 the town was renamed to honor two of the town’s leading citizens: C. S. Boss and John Bergh. Chester S. Boss came west from Michigan after fighting in both the Civil and the Indian Wars. He was the first postmaster and storekeeper and was a member of the first school board. John Bergh was an influential pioneer and a clerk for the school board.

Bossburg Freight Line, Late 1800’s

Bossburg was an active town. A cable ferry, known as the Young America Landing, shuttled prospectors and freight wagons, bound for mining fields in British Columbia, across the Columbia River. It is rumored that traffic lined up waiting their turn to be taken across the wild Columbia. The ferry was not alone on the river, it was sometimes accompanied on the water with the unique "Kootnei canoes" of the Lake Native Americans. Bossburg was also known for its fruit, weekly newspaper, the durability of the area’s "flint clay" and of course the abundant sources of lumber.

Following construction of Grand Coulee Dam, the rising waters of the Columbia only took the west part of town.

After the mining era passed the population decreased rapidly. In 1956 the school district was dissolved and the students were sent down to Marcus and eventually to Kettle Falls. (Alpha Naff, The Last Bell)