(final) 2023 Campbell's Resort Directory (7) - Flipbook - Page 12
Campbell's History
Our history at Campbell's
Resort
In 1898, C.C. Campbell, a former judge
and lawman from Sioux City, Iowa,
headed west to find a “land of
opportunity.” The Judge walked from the
end of the Washington Central Railway
line (in Wilbur, Washington) to Lake
Chelan – a three day hike.
Once the Judge saw the untouched,
rugged landscape surrounding a
beautiful, crystal clear lake, he moved his
family to Chelan and became their
permanent home.
Page 12
The original hotel property was purchased for
$400 in 1898. The seller is famously quoted
saying he’d “sold a sand dune to a sucker.”
The original 16-room hotel (named the Hotel
Chelan) opened in 1901 and was operated by
the Judge and his wife, Caroline. The goal was
“to erect a hostelry of the type that would be a
credit to the community.”
The hotel accommodated all walks of pioneer
life, from teamsters and prospectors to
homesteaders and tourists – each served with
trademark hospitality and Caroline’s famous
cooking.