Generations of tradition.
Eben Lehman | Forest History Society
(Adapted with permission from Forest History article)
A parade, a pageant, and Paul Bunyan. Mason County residents in 1945 had their own unique ideas of fire prevention. To help combat the destructive wildfires — while also promoting the importance of forests — Mason County hosted a forest festival in the spring of 1945.
The history of Shelton is closely tied with logging operations in the area. In 1853, Michael T. Simmons built the first sawmill in Mason County on Mill Creek just south of Shelton. Around this same time, David Shelton staked a claim on a nearby inlet off Puget Sound.
Sol G. Simpson came to the area and founded the Simpson Logging Company in the 1890s. The Simpson Company would eventually grow and expand throughout the country.
The area was also notable for being the home of the Shelton Cooperative Sustained-Yield Unit, which became active in 1946 and ended in 2002.
Fire Safety & Timber Strong
The first Mason County Forest Festival in 1945 honored the area’s logging history by showcasing the value of timber, while demonstrating the importance of safeguarding the forests against destructive fires.
Fire prevention was a prominent theme, as the Mason County Forest Festival was at this time operated as an auxiliary of the local chapter of the Keep Washington Green Committee.
People from all over Washington region flocked to Shelton to see, in the words of an ad for the 12th annual Forest Festival, “the dramatic Forest Pageant, the thrilling parade and the exciting contests in which loggers demonstrate their skills at falling, bucking, tree topping and truck driving.”
The ninth annual Forest Festival in 1953 was one for the ages. The monumental event celebrated the 100th anniversary of logging operations in Mason County, and a large sign carved into a piece of Douglas fir was permanently dedicated in it’s location overlooking Shelton’s Oakland Bay. The sign can be still viewed today at Outlook Park near the giant Paul Bunyan.
On the festival’s final day 30,000 people — about six times the regular population of the town — crowded into Shelton to watch the Paul Bunyan Parade through downtown. The 1953 event was an early high point for the festival, but there have been many other great moments throughout the years.
Check out this video project from 2021
Commemorating 77 years!
To celebrate our rich timber heritage in Mason county Anika Davison, 22 year-old filmmaker born and raised in Shelton, created a historical documentary. Anika was a video production intern at The Evergreen State College before graduating in June of 2021, and she loves being involved in her community.
