Roots Run Deep in Forestry The history of Hood Canal and South Puget Sound is closely tied to the history of timber harvesting and the beginning is often marked by the building of the first water-powered sawmill near present day Shelton on the south shore of Big Skookum (Hammeresly Inlet) in March of 1853.
Examining the time-line on the 664 old log when it was erected to celebrate 100 years of logging in the area in 1953. Photo: Mason County Historical Society
Even before the mill was complete, Missouri natives David and Tillman Shelton chose a spot for David’s 640-acre settlement claim in the Cota Valley at the head of the inlet. A creek emptied into the salt water between two bluffs and offered for good cultivation. This is now present day Shelton.
With is relationship to timber and the nationwide effort to increase awareness of protecting the forests from fires, Shelton became a model for other towns to follow with their outstanding festival honoring the area's timber relationship, the Mason County Forest Festival.
As the town grew, the forestry connection strengthened when Sol G. Simpson came to the area and founded the Simpson Logging Company in the 1890s. The Simpson Company eventually expanded throughout the country, but Shelton continued to serve as an important center of operations.
The ninth annual Forest Festival in 1953 celebrated the 100th anniversary of logging operations in Mason County, and a large sign carved into a piece of Douglas fir was dedicated. On the festival’s final day 30,000 people – about six times the regular population – crowded into Shelton to watch the Paul Bunyan Parade through downtown.
In June, Mason County celebrated its 74th annual Forest Festival. The Paul Bunyan Grand Parade had over 90 entries and the classic car show Sunday spanned four full blocks on Olympic Highway. The crowds did not match those of the centennial but the significance of the roots in forestry were noted. Sixty-five years hence the log monument that greets residents and visitors as they enter Shelton from the south reminds us daily of this legacy and the importance of keeping our forests green. The log monument is a ten feet in diameter cross section from the Grisdale operation of the Simpson Logging Company.
(Above) 2018 Forest Festival Royalty float in the Paul Bunyan Parade; (Right) The 1953 Forest Festival Royalty adorn the newly installed fir log monument. FJORD 10
