By Alex Paul
Chronicle staff

     Although there are only 186 residents in Conconully, the rich history of the boom town in the early 1900s is preserved at the Conconully Museum.
     There's still time to visit the museum this summer. but it closes after Labor Day.
     Conconully was chartered as a town, under the Washington Territory, in 1888 and was incorporated in 1908. Conconully was the Okanogan county seat until county government was moved to Okanogan in 1915.
     Museum volunteer Marilyn Church is one of 23 volunteers who staff the museum from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and holidays from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Tours are also available by appointment.
     The museum will enter its sixth summer housed in the former George Moore home, said Church. The building was constructed in the early 1900s on the North Fork of Salmon Creek. In the 1940s it was brought into town on a skid and two rooms were added.
     Moore's granddaughter, Esther Brunke Nolan, donated the seven-room home and the adjacent building, which houses the town's post office.
     There is no admission fee to the museum, which is funded by donations and rental income from the post office.
     "Our collection is growing," Church said. "We just added this sofa that had been in the old Ruby Hotel. The town died about 1900."
     Originally called Salmon City, Conconully was built at first on mining but many of the miners later became farmers and ranchers.
     Conconully was the county seat from 1889 until 1915. In addition to jobs created by government, the area was rich in mining, farming and ranching.
     "There were banks, attorneys' offices and a local newspaper," Church said.
     The Okanogan Record was published in Conconully from 1903 until 1915. Its publisher was Frank Putnam and the editor was O.H. Woods.
     A copy of the paper from Oct. 12, 1906, was found in the walls of a house and had been used as insulation. It is on display.
     Under the headline "Conconully Items" is a brief, "Building of the new creamery is advancing satisfactoraly and will be ready for the installation of the machinery when it arrives."
     The museum's newspaper collection includes a small printing press that was used to create flyers for merchants and a collection of lead type. The type was found along a creek bank, perhaps tossed there when the paper moved out of town.
     Photographer Frank S. Matsura moved to Conconully in 1903 and was employed at the Elliott Hotel. The town's park is named after him.
     Matsura and George Moore both performed in the Conconully Brass Band. Matsura later moved his photo studio to Okanogan; he is buried in the Okanogan Cemetery.
     The area's colorful mining history is documented with photos and tools used in the industry. There are miner's helmets, lights, picks and shovels. A large sand cone gold filter from about 1890 rests in the museum's front yard.
     Conconully resident Janie Carpenter recently spent some time looking over the mining exhibit and photos. Her grandfather, Chauncey Sherman, owned the Sherman Mining Co.
     Ranching also played a major role in the area's economic fortunes.
     Cattle brands of the era are featured on a large wooden board, along with the names of the corresponding ranch families.
     Buzz Berney of Conconully has loaned the museum an extensive collection of chaps, spurs, horseshoes, horse hobbles, cowbells and other Western gear. Most of the items were handmade.
     His wife, Jean, is prsident of the Conconully Area Historical Association, which supports and operates the museum.
     More information about the museum is available at 826-4308 or 826-9050.