Mason County has an area of 961 square miles, ranking 29th in size.
The county’s population in 2000 was 49,405, growing nearly 29 percent from 1990. It grew faster than the state as a whole. People moving into the county – primarily commuters who worked elsewhere – drove population growth during the decade.
Mason County ranked 15th out of the 39 Washington counties in population density. The county averaged about 52 persons per square mile, compared to 90 persons for the state. Four out of every five people live in unincorporated areas. Shelton is the county’s only city. The balance of the population lives near the county’s 12 communities along Hood Canal or South Puget Sound inlets.
The county also is home to the Skokomish and Squaxin Island Indian tribes. Most of the Skokomish live on or near the tribe’s reservation at the mouth of the Skokomish River on the southern end of Hood Canal. The Squaxin Island Reservation is near Kamilche in the southeast section of the county.
Like neighboring Thurston County, prehistoric glacial activity heavily influenced Mason County’s terrain. Mountainous areas in the county’s interior evolved into dense forest. Much of the north county area is in the Olympic National Forest or Olympic National Park; elevations reach 6,000 feet above sea level. The lower, non-forested areas are fertile loam. The county has nearly 100 lakes; the larger lakes are Lake Cushman, Mason Lake, Lake Limerick, Isabella Lake, Timberlakes, and Spencer Lake.
The longest river is the Skokomish River. Formed high in the Olympic Mountains, the Skokomish flows southeasterly through the county before emptying into Hood Canal. One fork of the Skokomish feeds Lake Cushman and the hydroelectric power plant at Potlatch. Other notable rivers in Mason County are the Satsop and Hamma Hamma Rivers.
Mason County’s boundaries are a mix of land and water.July 14, 2004
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Of the county’s traditional industries – logging and lumber, farming and dairying, and oyster cultivation – only logging and lumber remains prominent. However, this industry has been under pressure from increasing environmental regulations and external competition; lower-paying service-oriented jobs increasingly have replaced jobs in forest products industries. This blue-collar county looks more like a bedroom community to Thurston County to the west. Construction of homes has boomed, and casinos offer a more diverse entertainment setting to compliment the natural beauty of Hood Canal and the Olympic Mountains. Despite the economic changes occurring, Mason County was considered a distressed county in 2003.
Comprising a total land mass of 961 square miles, Mason County ranks 29th in size among Washington counties. The county is located in western Washington at the southwest end of Puget Sound. It is bordered to the north by Jefferson County, to the west and southwest by Grays Harbor County, and to the southeast by Thurston County. The county’s eastern boundary - shared with Kitsap, Pierce and Thurston counties - is primarily delineated by the rugged contours of Hood Canal and Case Inlet. Like neighboring Thurston County, Mason’s topography was heavily influenced by prehistoric glacial activity. After the ice retreated, the more mountainous areas in the county’s interior evolved into dense forest land. This is particularly true in the north county, much of which is incorporated in the Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park (elevations in this part of the county reach 6,000 feet above sea level). The lower elevations (where they are not forested) consist of fertile, but gravelly, loam. Past glacial activity accounts for nearly 100 lakes that dot the county. The larger of these bodies are Lake Cushman, Mason Lake, Lake Limerick, Isabella Lake, Timberlakes and Spencer Lake. Hood Canal and Puget Sound account for most of Mason County’s 90 square miles of water. Two-thirds of Hood Canal runs through Mason County. Two-to-three miles wide in certain places, Hood Canal enters the county from the north and, in the course of its 30-plus mile stretch, turns northeasterly at the Great Bend to form a lopsided ‘‘V.’’ Case Inlet forms the lower half of Mason’s eastern boundary. Lying in county waters are two big islands - Harstine and Squaxin - and three smaller ones: Hope, Reach, and Stretch. Of the innumerable inlets that break up the county’s shore, two deserve mention: Hammersley Inlet (Shelton’s access to Puget Sound) and Little Skookum Inlet (Kamilche’s access to Puget Sound).
The longest and most powerful river in Mason County is the Skokomish. Formed high in the Olympic Mountains, the Skokomish flows southeasterly through Mason County before emptying at the Great Bend of the Hood Canal. One fork of the Skokomish feeds Lake Cushman and the hydroelectric power plant at Potlatch (built by the City of Tacoma). Other notable rivers in Mason County are the Satsop and Hamma Hamma. Originating in the south county, the Satsop flows southwesterly to Grays Harbor and the Pacific Ocean. The Hamma Hamma runs east near the county’s northern border before flowing into Hood Canal.
The following was excerpted from the "History of Mason County" by Dr. Harry W. Deegan. Early white exploration of what would become Mason County was led by Lieutenant Charles Wilkes and his expeditionary party. From 1838 to 1841, they explored and mapped Puget Sound for the U.S. Government. Upon reaching the Mason County region, the expedition encountered Indian inhabitants; namely the Skokomish (or Twana) and Squaxin, the principal tribes of the region. The former were mostly concentrated in what is now the central county along the Skokomish River; the latter mainly along the inlet waters of Puget Sound in the southeast county. Interestingly enough, for a decade after its formation, Mason County took the name of one of the region’s smaller tribes, the Sa-heh-wamish or Sawamish (as they were more commonly referred to), who inhabited the area around Budd Inlet extending west to the Pacific. Because of their watery surroundings, the tribes depended upon canoes as a means of travel and trade with tribes further north along Puget Sound or on the Olympic Peninsula. Their canoes were fashioned from the cedar trees which blanketed the shore. So, too, were their longhouses which provided protection against the winter cold. Salmon was the primary food, supplemented by roots and berries. The Medicine Creek Treaty of April 10, 1855, and the Point-No-Point Treaty of January 26, 1855, had numerous tribes of the Washington Territory, including the Skokomish, Squaxin, and Sawamish cede land to the federal government in return for monetary compensation and tribal reservations. Though there were others, these treaties are noted for having facilitated the relatively peaceful white settlement of Washington Territory.
When Washington Territory was formed in 1853, Thurston (which included present-day Mason County) was its second largest county. Unfortunately, the county’s large size made communication and travel between its seat in Olympia and a large settlement to the northwest in Shelton very difficult. As a result, David Shelton - a delegate to the Territorial Legislature - submitted a bill to partition Thurston and create Sawamish County. The bill passed the Legislature and was signed by Governor Isaac I. Stevens in March of 1854. In 1864, the county was renamed Mason to honor Charles Mason, the first secretary to Governor Stevens and the Washington Territorial Legislature, and the acting governor during Stevens’ absence. The original seat of Mason County government was the town of Oakland (now extinct but then roughly two miles north of present-day Shelton). However, in 1888, Shelton, referred to as Sheltonville prior to 1888, was selected as the new county seat - allegedly because Oakland residents would not allow a saloon in town. Within the decade, Shelton became the local commercial center, particularly for timber interests.
Without question, logging was the foundation upon which Mason County’s economic structure was built. Moderate temperatures and abundant rainfall provided a perfect growing climate for ancient stands of Douglas fir, cedar, spruce, and hemlock. The virgin stands were considered ripe for the woodman’s axe. It was these forests that drew pioneer settlers to the county. The first logging was done in the southeastern part of the county near Kamilche. Early on, trees were felled by hand and dragged from the forest by ox teams. The labor-intensive practices, coupled with dense stands of timber, made early efforts to log the county’s interior virtually impossible. Fortunately, the timber extended down to the shores of Puget Sound. Naturally, that timber was the first to be harvested. Solomon Simpson, a major figure in Mason County history, arrived in 1887 to supervise construction of the Puget Sound and Grays Harbor Railroad. However, in 1895 he left to organize Simpson Logging Company. Simpson is credited with modernizing timber-harvesting methods. He replaced ox teams with hitches of eight to ten horses and introduced greased skids to speed up the clearing. These practices, however, proved costly in terms of the horses’ high mortality rate. That, in turn, prompted him to speed along production of the revolutionary steam donkey. Companies sprang up as logging became more cost-efficient and profitable around the turn of the century. Simpson Logging (which continues to play a major role in the local economy) was the county’s first major logging concern. In fact, by 1905 it was the largest in the state with a payroll of more than 500 men. Before the turn of the century, others would follow:
Mason County Logging, Western Washington Logging, Union River Logging, and Phoenix Logging were examples. As logging commenced, lumber mills followed. Skookum Mill was the first. The mill was built in 1854 at the head of Hammersley Inlet near present-day Shelton. Other mills soon began operating in the areas around Shelton and Allyn, a town at the head of Case Inlet Bay near the land bridge connecting Mason and Kitsap counties. The water-powered mills were erected along the banks of rivers and creeks. When areas were logged out, the mills either moved or went out of business. Miles and miles of rail laid by the region’s logging and lumber concerns added to local prosperity. The county’s first railroad was constructed in 1883 by the Union River Logging Company. It extended 10 miles along Hood Canal and was operated for 10 to 15 years. The Phoenix Logging Company operated a small line on Hood Canal near Potlatch. In 1884, construction began on the Simpson Logging Company’s Peninsular Railroad (an extension of the Satsop Railroad). Most nostalgic, however, was the Puget Sound and Grays Harbor Railroad, more commonly referred to as the Blakely Road. Begun by the Port Blakely Mill Company in 1886, the line stretched from the mouth of Little Skookum Inlet to Kamilche. It later extended to Elma, Montesano, and Aberdeen. As the shortest route from Tacoma and Seattle to Grays Harbor, it carried many passengers. The clear-cutting practices of early logging companies opened a considerable amount of county land to farming, dairying, and ranching. Cattle (Holstein, Jersey, Hereford, and Durham) and sheep were introduced into the lush Skokomish River and Shelton valleys. By the turn of the century, many of these operations were quite prosperous because of the ready market provided by logging camps. Farming tended to be limited to the production of hay (mostly for local ranches), berries, and potatoes. Oysters proved to be a valuable local commodity. In fact, they proved so popular that local oyster beds were all but depleted by 1887 - less than a decade after the county’s first shipment left Oyster Bay. This led to the creation of the Puget Sound Oyster Association. Under the organization’s leadership, Oyster Bay was reseeded. Soon after, three major oyster companies moved into the county: Skookum Oyster Company, J.Y. Waldrip (Taylor United, currently) and Olympia Oyster & Investment Company. By 1902, four-hundred acres of Mason County waters were under cultivation, producing more than 25,000 sacks of oysters each year. At that time in American history, oysters were considered standard fare, a part of most meals, and were quite inexpensive.
The pattern of economic development in Mason County held constant through the post-war period. Since then, things have changed. Of the County traditional industries - logging and lumber remain prominent with the second largest private industry now being aquaculture. Diversification of Mason County industry over the last 30 years in the aerospace industry and rising employment in the food and construction industries.
Today in 2004, Mason County is a community with an estimated population of
50,200. Mason County is the sixth fastest growing county in the State. Shelton,
the County Seat and the only incorporated city in the county, has a population
of approximately 8,545. (Click
here for a link to 2002/03 Demographic Profile and Statistics)
Statistically, the realistic population density for the county, taking the
public and private forest lands out of the computation, is approximately 140 per
square mile.