5th Avenue Bar & Grill, Metaline Falls, WA |
People have been living in the Metaline Falls area for at least 8,000 to 11,000 years ago, with the Kalispel tribe there when Europeans first started to arrive in the early 1800s. The exposed minerals led the Europeans to call the place "metalines," and they eventually established the town of Metaline on the western bank of the Pend Oreille River in 1859, and Metaline Falls on the east bank in 1911. Gold was discovered in the area in the 1850s, then mining interests turned to lead and zinc, which sustained the area in the 1970s. Today the population of Metaline Falls is down to around 200 people, largely supported by hunting, fishing, and other tourist and outdoor activities. The town is just 13 miles south of the Canadian border, and if you check out Gardner Cave, the limestone cavern named for the bootlegger who discovered and hid his product there, it's a short walk to the border. (Historylink)
Trail to Canada near Gardner Cave |
Gardner Cave, just north of Metaline Falls, WA |
Est. 2011
Previous bars in this location: Heidi's
Web site: facebook
Reviews: roadtrippers - yelp - tripadvisor