The Price of Mason County's Riches
Detailed 1891 logging records from Shelton reveal a booming timber industry that paid out tens of thousands in wages—but left local communities dependent on outside supplies.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
SHELTON, Jan. 29.—Following is a complete and accurate statement of the log crop of Mason county for 1891. The figures, compiled by Mr. George Lawler, treasurer of the Washington Southern Railway Company, represent much labor and research. The total output reached 87,400,000 feet, valued at $568,100. Deliveries at Shelton alone amounted to 31,853,241 feet. Of the total value, 45 percent was paid out for labor, amounting to a monthly payroll of over $10,000 for lumbering employees near Shelton.
However, there is a stark gap in local self-sufficiency. Approximately 35 percent of the gross value, or $198,835, was spent on supplies—mostly hay, feed, beef, and vegetables. Nearly all of these items could have been produced within Mason County. The report suggests that residents are largely to blame for not keeping a larger proportion of this wealth by failing to farm or manufacture finished goods locally. With more farmers and a focus on domestic production, the county could transform from a mere extractor of resources into a truly prosperous community.
“It is estimated that 45 per cent, of the total value of these logs was paid for the labor, and 35 per cent, for supplies. Nearly all of the last named large sum could be produced in this county.”
This 1892 report highlights a tension still felt in Washington’s economy: the struggle to move beyond raw resource extraction toward local manufacturing and agricultural sustainability. Much like today’s conversations about diversifying regional industry, these turn-of-the-century loggers were already debating how to keep wealth circulating within the community rather than exporting it for basic necessities.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.