Leavenworth, Washington, located in the Northern Cascade Mountains, is a tiny town incorporated in 1906 and relying heavily on the railroad and the timber industry. By the 1960s the town was struggling for economic survival — and that was when the leaders came up with the idea of remodeling Leavenworth as a Bavarian village to attract tourists.

As a child, my mom lived in Leavenworth, where her father was employed by the railroad; these images are from a trip my parents took in 1976.

I’ll have some more images from the trip to Washington State to share with you next week.