Curlew is an unincorporated community

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 located in northwestern Ferry County, Washington, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, between Malo

Malo, Washington

Malo is an unincorporated community in Ferry County, Washington, United States. Malo is located on Washington State Route 21 north-northeast of Republic. Malo has a post office with ZIP code 99150 and had a 2010 census population of 28....

 and Danville

Danville, Washington

Danville is an unincorporated community in Ferry County, Washington, United States. Danville is located on Washington State Route 21 near the Canadian border, north-northeast of Republic. Danville has a post office with ZIP code 99121...

 on State Route 21. The BNSF Railway

BNSF Railway

The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...

 ran through the town. The historic Ansorge Hotel

Ansorge Hotel

The Ansorge Hotel is a turn of the 20th century two-story hotel located in Curlew, Washington. It was built in 1903 next to the Great Northern Railway. The hotel still has the bay windows and stamped sheet metal siding which looks like brick. Included in the many patrons of the hotel over the...

 is located in Curlew.

Geography

Curlew is located at 48°53′08"N 118°35′54"W, at the confluence of Long Alec Creek and the Kettle River

Kettle River (Columbia River)

The Kettle River is a tributary of the Columbia River in northeastern Washington in the United States and southeastern British Columbia in Canada. Its drainage basin is large, of which are in Canada and in the United States.-Course:...

. Its elevation is 1800 feet above sea level.

Most popular site on Kettle river in summer is the Old Swimming Hole near the center of town. Curlew was a pick up point for moonshine

Moonshine

Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...

that was dropped in the Kettle river. The tradition is still celebrated on the first Sunday in June each year during the Curlew Barrel Derby Days. A barrel is set adrift in the Kettle River at the Canadian border and local citizens bet on when it will reach town.

Early Days

In 1896 two traders Guy S. Helphry and J. Walters set up a general store at an old ferry crossing near the junction of Curlew Creek and Kettle River. The site around the store grew into a collection of log buildings and other stores. By 1901 a bridge was put in across the Kettle River and a community had developed which had a population of 200. The community contained two general stores, two saloons, a hotel, two livery stable, a dry goods store and several other businesses. In 1898 a post office had been established and the town was named "Curlew". Miners, railroad workers, natives, and others passed through the region. Nearby mines such as Drummer, Lancaster and Panama grew. Curlew never really expanded beyond those early boom years.