History at a Glance

This story is from several editions of the Shelton-Mason County Journal published in 1923.

In March 1923, the state of Washington appropriated more than half a million dollars to improve highways within Mason County, making way for the most extensive road operations in the history of the county.

The biggest project was in Shelton and included an entirely new route for the Olympic Highway from Mill Creek into downtown. The county had built the existing route - which we now know as Pioneer Way - many years earlier, and it was not approved by the state because of its steep grade. Several surveys had been made the previous fall and a new route was chosen that would "enter town over a much better grade down the hill, which would add somewhat to the distance but provide a fine view of town to incoming visitors."

The project also included grading, draining, and paving about a mile of the Olympic Highway that covered parts of First, Railroad, and Fifth streets, and constructing a new reinforced concrete bridge over Goldsborough Creek on First Street. The new bridge would be "of a type entirely new to the state of Washington, although in considerable vogue in some of the eastern states. The design is known as the 'through arch' or 'bowstring' bridge, in which the supporting arch is above the bridge floor."

The town would be required to prepare streets and relocate water and sewer systems before paving operations could begin.

"It will cost Shelton thousands of dollars to do the work, but as the street and paving will be permanently fixed and require no future consideration, this can cheerfully be done. It will require a considerable crew to carry through the work during June and there will be work in Shelton for all who wish to labor."

State Highway Engineer James Allen issued the call for bids on June 12, and work started in July. From 1 to 2 feet of dirt and fill had to be removed before paving could begin on First, Railroad, and Fifth streets.

"The hard-packed gravel on the streets required a huge Caterpillar tractor and heavy plow to crack. On First Street old planking, brush, and logs were encountered, which reminded Shelton old-timers of how the original streets were made. Plowing disclosed about 2 feet of this type of material over the original soil. For this week, conditions in town are rather chaotic, but detours and regulations will be settled by next week and the community settled down to making the best of the torn-up situation, which will not be entirely over until October."

By early August, crews were making good progress toward paving sections of First, Railroad and Fifth streets. Contractors had torn away half of the old Goldsborough Creek bridge and were driving new piling for a temporary span to be used while the new bridge was built. In late September, street paving was progressing at the rate of a block per day and was expected to be completed by the end of the month, at which time concrete sidewalks would be laid in some blocks to replace wooden walkways.

The last square of paving was laid on Sept. 23, at Fifth and Alder streets. Shelton now had four blocks of 40-foot-wide pavement on Railroad Avenue and three blocks on First Street, as well as four 30-foot-wide blocks on Fifth Street. Contractors on the new highway approach to downtown had finished clearing and grading the route and the lanes were being surfaced with gravel.

In late September, the arch sections of the new Goldsborough Creek bridge were being formed, and after several weeks of seasoning the concrete, the final work of installing guard railing would complete the bridge contract. By Nov. 2, traffic was using the bridge, while forms were being made ready for pouring the ornamental balustrade. Massive concrete posts stood at each corner of the bridge, on which electric lights would be placed, "making an imposing entrance to Shelton proper." The Peninsular Company steam shovel was widening the channel of the creek by 10 feet and removing possible obstructions to high water levels, to ensure keeping the stream within bounds.

A story on the front page of the Nov. 16 Journal declared that "the Goldsborough Creek bridge in Shelton is now completed and it is doubtful if there is a handsomer or sturdier bridge anywhere on the highways of Washington. The balustrades for the walkways have been finished and smoothed up, and four imposing light pillars add much to the beauty of the structure." (The Goldsborough Bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.)

In June 1924, a group of investors from Olympia announced they had purchased several tracts of land on the hill south of Shelton touching the new highway route, and were platting the property under the name of "Hillcrest Addition to Shelton." Making use of the new highway as the main artery, they opened several new streets and planned to build 15 or 20 homes as a start toward developing the property.

■ Jan Parker is a researcher for the Mason County Historical Museum. She can be reached at [email protected]. Membership in the Mason County Historical Society is $25 per year. For a limited time, new members will receive a free copy of the book "Shelton, the First Century Plus Ten."