Newhalem, Washington

Description

The name Newhalem has its roots in a local indigenous language as meaning 'Goat Snare', as the natives used to trap mountain goats in the area.

In pre-colonial times, the site was inhabited by members of the Upper Skagits.

There was a school in Newhalem a long time ago but it was demolished because the population had severely dropped. Now the students have about a -hour bus to Concrete.

Climate

Newhalem has plentiful rainfall year-round, but with significantly less rainfall in the summer months than in winter. According to the Köppen climate classification, Newhalem has an oceanic climate (Cfb).

|Jan record high F = 63 |Feb record high F = 71 |Mar record high F = 78 |Apr record high F = 91 |May record high F = 101 |Jun record high F = 113 |Jul record high F = 109 |Aug record high F = 108 |Sep record high F = 99 |Oct record high F = 83 |Nov record high F = 74 |Dec record high F = 61 |year record high F = 113 | Jan avg record high F = 48.8 | Feb avg record high F = 52.8 | Mar avg record high F = 63.3 | Apr avg record high F = 75.7 | May avg record high F = 86.4 | Jun avg record high F = 89.8 | Jul avg record high F = 94.5 | Aug avg record high F = 93.8 | Sep avg record high F = 86.8 | Oct avg record high F = 70.5 | Nov avg record high F = 54.9 | Dec avg record high F = 48.5 | year avg record high F = 97.3 | Jan avg record low F = 22.1 | Feb avg record low F = 25.0 | Mar avg record low F = 28.1 | Apr avg record low F = 32.2 | May avg record low F = 36.7 | Jun avg record low F = 43.1 | Jul avg record low F = 47.6 | Aug avg record low F = 47.8 | Sep avg record low F = 43.4 | Oct avg record low F = 35.1 | Nov avg record low F = 27.8 | Dec avg record low F = 23.2 | year avg record low F = 15.7 |Jan record low F = 0 |Feb record low F = 4 |Mar record low F = 14 |Apr record low F = 23 |May record low F = 30 |Jun record low F = 35 |Jul record low F = 39 |Aug record low F = 40 |Sep record low F = 32 |Oct record low F = 20 |Nov record low F = 7 |Dec record low F = 5 |year record low F = |Jan snow depth inch = 8.3 |Feb snow depth inch = 4.8 |Mar snow depth inch = 2.5 |Apr snow depth inch = 0.1 |May snow depth inch = 0.0 |Jun snow depth inch = 0.0 |Jul snow depth inch = 0.0 |Aug snow depth inch = 0.0 |Sep snow depth inch = 0.0 |Oct snow depth inch = 0.0 |Nov snow depth inch = 1.1 |Dec snow depth inch = 7.5 |year snow depth inch = 12.4 | archive-date = May 14, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210514063409/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=sew | url-status = dead

Newhalem in literature and film

The writer Tobias Wolff lived in Newhalem as a boy in the late 1950s, after his mother moved from west Seattle to marry a mechanic who lived in one of the company houses. In his memoir, This Boy's Life, he calls this isolated settlement "Chinook," and describes how the nearest high school was a long bus ride away, in a slightly larger hamlet called Concrete. In the 1993 film version of This Boy's Life, starring Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, the two places are combined and called "Concrete."

Portions of the 1983 Hollywood movie WarGames, starring Matthew Broderick, were filmed in Newhalem (most notably the scenes of the "Cheyenne Mountain Complex", filmed in an abandoned gravel pit northwest of the town).

Newhalem summer softball tournament

On every third weekend of July since 1977 there is a softball tournament held between competitors hailing from across the Skagit Valley.

Highway 20

Newhalem is the final place on Highway 20 to purchase supplies before crossing Rainy Pass and entering Eastern Washington.

Notable people

Tobias Wolff, writer, lived in Newhalem as a child

References

References

1. {{GNIS. 1523641
2. Majors, Harry M.. (1975). "Exploring Washington". Van Winkle Publishing Co.
3. Geoffrey Wolff, Tobias's brother, refers to it as "Newhalem Camp" in the biography of their father, ''The Duke of Deception''.
4. Diehl, Anna. (2023-07-14). "A Tale of Two Company Towns: How Newhalem and Diablo Power Seattle City Light".