Republic developed as a community of distinct immigrant neighborhoods such as French Town, Finn Town (Park City), and Swede Town, and its population reached 2,594 in 1890. Fraternal groups including the Hibernians, Knights of the MaCabees, the Scandinavian Society, St. Jean de Baptiste, the Social Circle, the Dancing Club, and the Daughters of St. George became part of community life, while seven churches and at one time fourteen saloons served religious and recreational needs. In January 1888, the organizational meeting of the first Finnish National Temperance Brotherhood Association, a national body with connections to the religious community, was held there. Most residents rejected socialism, and it failed to gain a foothold. Logging the virgin forest was an important part of Republic's early history, with many logging companies and mills established and hundreds of lumberjacks living in the area temporarily before moving on. Small farms in the surrounding countryside raised hay, cows, and potatoes, though farming later declined while the forest industry remained active. Witch Lake, ten miles south of town, became a center of logging activity and seasonal hunting and later the site of many summer homes. Republic and Witch Lake were both crossed by railroad tracks that served mining, logging, and the needs of the prosperous town; passenger trains continued through Republic until 1963, and after the mine closed in 1981, rail shipments soon ended.