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The small town of Mica is located in extreme Eastern Washington near the Idaho panhandle border. It is about 14 miles south and east of Spokane Washington. It sits at the base of Mica Peak on Highway 27, taking its name from the mica deposits found in the area. Earliest records of the area show the "California Ranch" along the California Creek, just north of the present town of Mica. As early as 1867 it was a stop on the Kentuck Trail, the shortest route at the time between Fort Walla Walla and the Spokane Bridge. Soon after the railroad came through the area about 1879, clay was discovered where the town of Mica is now located. The town was soon booming with a brick plant (Washington Brick and Lime), Swartz General Mechandise store, a post office, boarding house, and a school. The town would eventually have a grange hall, small library, church, barbershop, and a fire station among its buildings. The store has undergone transformations from general mechandise to groceries, antiques, and a restaurant. It is currently a residence and a post office. The brickyard is still operating (Mutual Materials) and the grange hall is still in use. The school building is now a private home, one of about 30 in the town. |