History at a Glance

The town of Hoodsport was officially created Aug. 1, 1890, when Vincent and Ida Finch went to Shelton and signed a certificate naming their property Hoodsport and dedicating the streets and alleys to the public forever, except for the right to grant right of way to the railroads.

By 1892, the combined population of the Hoodsport and Lake Cushman area was 145. The United States government sent a surveyor to the Cushman District, who changed survey lines from the north and west. The results were not favorable to settlers in the area - many ended up with completely different property.

Finch Creek flooded in 1892, becoming a raging river. James Readman and Carl Stebbins were thrown from their lumber wagon when they tried to cross it; they managed to struggle safely to shore and get the horses across. Not long afterward, Mason Avenue (now U.S. Highway 101) was cleared and graded in order to build a bridge across Finch Creek. The bridge, 275 feet long and 20 feet wide, was built under the supervision of Captain Robbins. His son-in-law, Vincent Finch, drove the ceremonial last spike at 2 p.m. on April 18, and Hoodsport now had a road in addition to the boardwalk along the waterfront.

A social life began to develop, with dancing classes, taffy pulls and music recitals. A dramatic club was formed for the women and an athletic club for the men, where, according to Jean Bearden's "History of Hoodsport," "the tales of athletic prowess far exceeded the actual feats witnessed in the wrestling and boxing matches."

Dances were at Hoodsport and various nearby communities. Bearden tells of an event at a dance at Union City: "Andy Muller walked out on the Union City Wharf and saw a plank projecting over the water. He kept on going to see where the plank led, thinking, perhaps, it was a shortcut to Bald Point. The plank up-ended and Andy found himself in the icy water. Fortunately, the tide was out and the water was shallow enough for him to wade to shore. The incident sparked a more or less friendly rivalry between Union and Hoodsport concerning the merits of their respective docks - Hoodsport claiming that if Andy had walked off their wharf he would still be going down."

A school of sorts started up in Captain Robbins' store, with 12 students attending. The first structure fire at Hoodsport happened at the home of A. R. Burtt on Nob Hill (School House Hill). A bucket brigade soon had it under control and the fire was confined to the dining room and a bedroom.

John Graham built the town's second hotel on the flats south of Finch Creek (a large hotel called Hilton House had been built in 1890). The two-story building, named the Hotel Florence after Graham's wife, cost $6,000 to build, and had a saloon on the first floor and 15 rooms upstairs. To celebrate his hotel's opening, Graham held a free dance with a midnight supper costing $1 per couple.

On its return trip to Seattle, a fishing boat called Chinook carried 5,000 silver salmon from the Canal – so many that some had to be loaded on a scow towed behind the boat. Local fisherman claimed that the Chinook had left them nothing but dogfish.

The year 1893 began with a severe winter. Snow and wind began in January and by February 6 feet of snow was in the hills and 5 feet at Hoodsport. Snow crushed the hotel at Lilliwaup and Putnam's Hotel at Lake Cushman. Barns, sheds, and boathouses went down, and Cushman families were housebound by both the snow and a frozen lake. It was April before they could make it across to the other side, sawing ice for a quarter of a mile so they could get their livestock to grazing land on the lake's east side. There was such a scarcity of food for the stock that W.T. Putman skied to Hoodsport and carried back 50 pounds of feed on his back.

A nationwide depression didn't help. A.R. Burtt closed his logging camp because the price of logs dropped so low. McReavy's stores at Union closed, with many settlers owing him money, and two rival stage lines between Hoodsport and Cushman cut rates from one dollar to 25 cents. Probably the worst blow of all was the news that the Port Townsend Southern Railroad would not be laying the greatly anticipated tracks from Quilcene to Hoodsport, Union City and beyond. The Lilliwaup Falls Townsite Company, which had purchased the logged-off land along the little bay with plans for a large city, had already started building a town and selling off lots. The depression and news about the railroad caused the company to pack up and leave, and the fledgling city disappeared almost overnight. Buildings were left to decay or were sold and moved away, and only a handful of families remained to keep the community of Lilliwaup alive.

Despite the hard times, the Hoodsport School District continued with plans to build a new schoolhouse, including purchasing a 400-pound bell for the tower. A two-story 30-by-50 foot building was erected on land donated by Vincent Finch, at a cost of $1,999. Fifteen children were in attendance when the school opened.

December 1893 ended with Lake Cushman frozen solid enough to walk on, and snowshoes the only way to get to Hoodsport.

■ 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."