Archives West Finding Aid

Marcus Oppenheimer (1834-1901) settled on the Columbia River in what would be caled Steven County in 1862. He opened a store to purvey goods to miners traveling north to Canada, and he and his brothers, Joseph and Samuel, eventually diversify into steamboats, freight lines, and flour milling. He is the only Jewish immigrant to Washington to have a town named after him.

Marcus is located 75 miles northwest of Spokane. It came into being when a British survey team including geologists, naturalists, and 45 engineers put up buildings there to begin a survey of the international border in conjunction with the United States team based at Fort Colville. The survey crews completed their work in 1862, and Marcus Oppenheimer, who arrived from Kentucky, immediately filed for a homestead on the ground where the British Boundary Commission buildings stood. He platted a town and opened a store to provide goods to miners and prospectors moving through the area on their way to Canada.

Source: "Marcus Oppenheimer, eponym of Marcus, Washington, settles on the Columbia River near the Canadian border in 1862." by Priscilla Long, https://www.historylink.org/file/8232