Editing Twisp, Washington (section)

==History==
On July 30, 1897, Henry C. Glover [[plat]]ted a town in the [[Methow River|Methow Valley]] he called Gloversville, in which a small store and post office were soon established.<ref name="majors">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CoWrPQAACAAJ|title=Exploring Washington|last=Majors|first=Harry M.|publisher=Van Winkle Publishing Co|year=1975|isbn=978-0-918664-00-6|page=40}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://historylink.org/File/9943|title=Twisp — Thumbnail History|last=West|first=Karen|date=October 5, 2011|website=HistoryLink.org|access-date=August 18, 2019}}</ref> In 1898, Glover became [[postmaster]] of the town, which was now called Twisp, the origin of which is unclear.<ref name=":0" /> The common explanation is that it comes from the [[Okanagan language|Okanagan]] placename ''txʷəc'p'',<ref name="Bright2004">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5XfxzCm1qa4C&pg=PA526|title=Native American placenames of the United States|last=Bright|first=William|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|year=2004|isbn=978-0-8061-3598-4|page=526|author-link=William Bright|access-date=April 11, 2011}}</ref> which possibly translates to [[wasp]], [[yellowjacket]], or the sound made by a wasp.<ref name=":0" /> On June 29, 1899, Amanda P. Burgar platted the town of Twisp adjacent to the original Gloversville site, which was thereafter considered part of Twisp.<ref name=":0" />

Twisp soon contained a population of miners and ranchers who were supported by many local businesses, including a drug store, a bank, a hotel, two saloons and a [[Methodism|Methodist]] church.<ref name=":0" /> The [[Methow people|Methow tribe]] was also a common sight, who continued to camp in their traditional sites and traded with the settlers.<ref name=":0" /> On August 6, 1909, the town was incorporated and elected its first officers.<ref name=":0" /> One of the first issues the five-member town council faced was liquor licenses for the two saloons, and a 1910 election was held to determine whether Twisp would implement [[Prohibition]].<ref name=":0" /> The saloons served free drinks on election day, which allegedly all 88 voters partook in, and Prohibition was rejected by a vote of 56–32.<ref name=":0" /> In 1911, electricity was brought to Twisp and the first movie house opened.<ref name=":0" /> On January 15, 1912, the Twisp School, constructed at a cost of $12,109.68, opened its doors.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://methowcommunity.org/history/|title=History – Methow Valley Community Center|date=May 20, 2017 |language=en|access-date=August 18, 2019}}</ref>

Twisp was largely built of wood and shortly after midnight on July 24, 1924, a fire broke out in downtown Twisp, which burned down two houses and 23 buildings.<ref name=":0" /> Only the Filer and McAlister grocery store and the Commercial Bank's vault survived within the fire zone, which were both built of red brick.<ref name=":0" />

In 1940, a $50,000 addition to the Twisp School building was completed, which included a library, study hall and gymnasium, and the Twisp High School was relocated to a new wing.<ref name=":1" />

By the early 1940s, logging was a large business in [[Okanogan County, Washington|Okanogan County]] and Ernest and Otto Wagner, a father and son team, owned the second largest operation.<ref name=":0" /> After their [[Okanogan, Washington|Okanogan]] mill burned in 1943, they eventually moved all their operations to Twisp and in 1963 a local newspaper reported that "its payroll [was] the life blood of the biggest per cent of the people, not only of Twisp but of the entire Methow Valley."<ref name=":0" />

In 1948, the Columbia River and its tributaries, including the Twisp and Methow rivers, flooded and the damage in the Methow Valley was estimated to be $4 million, which lost power, telephone service, all its bridges and multiple houses.<ref name=":0" />

The opening of the [[North Cascades Highway]] in 1972 brought an influx of full-time resident retirees and seasonal recreationalists, which led to an increase of jobs.<ref name=":0" /> In 1973, [[Liberty Bell Junior-Senior High School|a new high school]] located between Twisp and neighboring [[Winthrop, Washington|Winthrop]] was completed and that year's class was the last to graduate from Twisp High School, which was then abandoned and sat vacant for five years.<ref name=":1" /> In 1979, the building reopened as the Methow Valley Community Center.<ref name=":1" />

In 2009, the vacant [[ranger station]] in Twisp was converted to a campus (entitled TwispWorks) where local businesses, community organizations, artists and producers could operate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.methowarts.org/arts-partners/twisp-works/|title=TwispWorks|website=Methow Arts|language=en-US|access-date=August 18, 2019}}</ref>

Twisp, along with several neighboring towns in Okanogan County, was evacuated in August 2015 as a result of the [[Okanogan Complex Fire]]. Three firefighters were killed while battling one of the complex's fires near Twisp on August 19.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.khq.com/story/29837631/three-firefighters-killed-in-wildfire-near-twisp-evacuations-in-place|title=Three firefighters killed in wildfire near Twisp; One firefighter remains in critical condition|last=Howard|first=Cory|date=August 20, 2015|work=[[KHQ-TV]]|access-date=August 26, 2015}}</ref>