Abandoned Record
About Bolster
Bolster is a ghost town in Okanogan County, Washington, USA. In 1899, the town was plotted by J.S. McBride, who named it for the Spokane financier Herman Bolster. He sold lots in the new town and at one time there were several stores, a post office and three saloons.
This is a site record: what public sources say about Bolster, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.
Map
Where Bolster is
Historic maps
8 historic USGS maps cover Bolster
Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.
- 1902 Osoyoos sheet, 1:125,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1904 Osoyoos sheet, 1:125,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1954 Okanogan sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1957 Mt Bonaparte sheet, 1:62,500 · GeoTIFF download
- 1958 Okanogan sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1984 Oroville sheet, 1:100,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1988 Chesaw sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 2001 Chesaw sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
Directions
Getting there
Before you go
- Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
- Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
- Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.
Nearby
Other sites near Bolster
Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our Washington index.
Sources
Sources
- Wikipedia, "Bolster, Washington": coordinates and summary.
- Wikidata Q4940081.
- USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
- USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).