Forging a Path to the Wishkah Forks
County commissioners scramble to map a reliable road to the logging camps before the arrival of the rainy season.
The story, cleaned up
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Last Monday the board of county commissioners went up the Wishkah River to inspect the progress of local road building. It appears that Frank Miller, a logger, took it upon himself to construct a road from the forks to the falls, and has submitted a bill of $480 to the county for his work. During the visit, Commissioner Gillies announced that the board has appointed C. W. Blackwell, an experienced cruiser, to survey a new, practicable route from Aberdeen to the forks. The commission aims to complete the project before the next rainy season, noting that previous attempts at building a road in the region have proven unsatisfactory.
“Several routes have, heretofore, been laid out, but none of proved satisfactory, and we propose to get a good easy route this time. Aberdeen is badly in need of such a road and we push it right through.”
Infrastructure in the rugged Chehalis River basin was a constant battle against the environment and the limits of colonial engineering. The struggle to connect logging operations to the town center is foundational to the economic history of Grays Harbor.
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