Prospectors returning from British Columbia’s Cariboo and Fraser districts in 1860 wandered into the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and began placer mining on the creeks. The town was named Edward Blewitt of Seattle, who operated a gold mining company that owned many of the claims in the area. At one time, more than 300 miners worked in the area.

Prior to 1879, Blewett was reached only by trail; in that year a wagon road was built from Cle Elum over the Wenatchee divide. Instead of wagons, saddle horses, and pack mules, today shiny new cars and rattling older models are parked under the pines. Numerous perforations visible in the mountain sides around Blewett are test holes sunk by early prospectors to tap quartz veins. Despite the large-scale development of gold mining, few prospectors were still searching for the scarce yellow metal by 1941. Today, the town no longer exists; US 97 now runs through the site, which is noted by a historical marker.