Wikipedia

Forest, Washington

Forest is an unincorporated community in Lewis County, in the U.S. state of Washington.[1] It is located on Jackson Highway, between the Port of Chehalis and Washington State Route 508 (SR 508).

Forest, Washington
Unincorporated community
Forest is located in Washington (state)
Forest
Forest
Forest is located in the United States
Forest
Forest
Coordinates: 46°35′56″N 122°51′28″W / 46.59889°N 122.85778°W / 46.59889; -122.85778
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountyLewis
Elevation
[1]305 ft (93 m)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
zip code
98532
Area code360

Etymology edit

Two reliable but differing accounts of the name of Forest exist. One theory is based on the old-growth timber that grew in the area, while a second option posits that the moniker was taken after John T. Forrest, an early school teacher in the community.[2]

History edit

The area was first settled by a non-native family, the Berniers, in the 1850s.[3] Forest was founded in the 1890s and was referred to as Newaukum Prairie.[1][4][a] Due to the town's location on Highway 99, Forest was see as a crossroads community where it was often used as a rest stop and a communal gathering spot for nearby residents. The early community once had a grist mill that began after 1875 but burned down in 1913.[2]

The community was a site for a poor farm in the late 1890s. The site often housed destitute or disabled persons, and may have been a temporary location for persons that ran afoul of the law, as some were described as "inmates". During the Great Depression, the Forest Manor Retirement Home was built, remaining as a poorhouse. The site continued to operate during the 1930s but the building was abandoned before being renovated as a tuberculosis convalescence home in 1943. Lasting until the mid-1950s, the Macmillan Sanatorium became a nursing home before once again being used for retirement needs in the 1970s. By the 21st century, the building was remodeled and is used as a homeless shelter for women and children.[5]

An open field located near the town was used as a makeshift airfield in the early 20th century during the beginnings of flight.[2] Forest was a location for a permanent Boy Scout campground with a log cabin with construction beginning in 1920.[6]

Forest, due to its location near the Newaukum River, has a history of flooding. The community was included in updated FEMA flood maps in 2003, the first revised maps since the 1970s.[7] The 1929 Newaukum Bridge spanning the river was replaced in 2011. The construction cut off traffic flow through the town as the highway was partially closed for a year. The replacement was also hampered by costs and caution over possible archaeological finds.[8][9]

Post office edit

A post office was established in Forest's historic Trodahl store[2] and named in 1896 by the first postmaster, Amanda Monroe.[b] It was moved in 1897, remaining in operation until 1934.[4][10][11] Early service routes from Chehalis were directed through Forest, providing mail delivery to towns and communities located on present-day SR 508 or near Mayfield Lake and Riffe Lake.[12]

Geography edit

Forest is located at the confluence of the north and south forks of the Newaukum River. The area is referred to as a crossroads community due it's central proximity at a crossing of the Jackson Highway (previously part of U.S. Route 99) and an arterial that leads to Alpha and SR 508. The crossing was known as Stinky's Corner and Trodahl's Corner. Forest is situated between Chehalis to the north, and the communities of Klaus and Mary's Corner to the south.[3][2][13]

Arts and culture edit

Historic buildings and sites edit

Forest Grange edit

The Forest Grange, No. 153, was organized in 1904 along with granges in Alpha, Ethel, Silver Creek, St. Urban, and the Hope grange in Winlock. Though recognized for a time as the first granges formed in Lewis County, two granges had been structured in 1874.[14] The grange celebrated its 100th anniversary in conjunction with its fellow halls in 2004.[15] The social organization was first known as the Forest Union Grange in 1916, changing the name approximately 20 years later. At the dedication and opening of a new 40 ft × 100 ft (12 m × 30 m) hall in 1916, the grange counted 135 charter members.[16][17] As of 2024, the Forest Grange and its hall is active.

Trodahl store edit

At the intersection of North Fork Road and Jackson Highway is the Trodahl store, an historic building first constructed in the 1880s and used as a stage stop and inn. The structure was expanded in the 1890s with an addition of an attached residence. In the 20th century it became a general store first known as Greeners,[13] and then named after the Trodahl family that operated the business until the 1980s, finally closing after final hardship. The site, in 1993, became a convenience mart, continuing so into the next century.[2][9]

Education edit

Forest was home to a two-room schoolhouse in the early 1900s and the building contained a belfry.[2][18] Originally, the school held all classes up to 8th grade in one room, later partitioned into four sections.[13] Enrollment numbers in the school's early days were moderate, with a report of 70 students in 1911.[19]

A district consolidation occurred in 1910, creating the Forest School district No. 205. The following year, the Forest school, due to its location, length of school year, and well-regarded teachers, became the center point of a concentration of smaller schoolhouses in the Newaukum Valley. The school was given a special mention of high praise by the state's Department of Education.[19]

In 1926, an $8,000 bond to construct a new school building was passed[20] but was rejected the following year.[21] The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a $3,500 gym on the grounds in 1937.[22] The original schoolhouse was destroyed by fire in 1946, though the gym and teacher's cottage were saved.[23] With the formal closure of the school by 1950,[24] the grounds were still used, especially for a children's handicap education program in the mid-to-late 1950s.[25][26] By 1966, the remaining structures had been available for rent and were officially put up for sale.[24] The grounds of the Forest schoolhouse were listed as surplus in 1972.[27][28]

Government and politics edit

Politics edit

Presidential Elections Results
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2020[29] 75.18% 530 22.70% 160 1.56% 11

Forest maintains a separate voting precinct from neighboring Chehalis and is recognized as being majority Republican and conservative.[30]

The 2020 election included votes for candidates of the Libertarian Party and there were 4 votes for write-in candidates.

Infrastructure edit

Around the turn of the 20th century, Forest was connected to Chehalis and Jackson Prairie, an area around present-day Mary's Corner, via a gravel and plank road;[31] the thoroughfare became part of Highway 99 and Jackson Highway. A gas pipeline was proposed to be built through the community in 1964.[32]

Notes edit

  1. ^ Sources vary on whether Forest was synonymous with Newaukum Prairie or the prairie was its own area, suggesting that Forest was a community within the Newaukum Prairie borders.
  2. ^ Records also list a W.R. Monroe.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Forest, Washington
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Mittge, Brian (April 6, 2002). "If Towns Could Talk - Towns Once Bastions Of Highway Commerce". The Chronicle. p. 22. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Mittge, Brian (April 3, 2004). "After 101 Years, Family still down home on the farm". The Chronicle. pp. 9, 10. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Meany, Edmond S. (1923). Origin of Washington geographic names. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 88.
  5. ^ Jones, Pat (January 6, 2007). "Some Lewis County People Wound up in Poor House". The Chronicle. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  6. ^ "Permanent Scout Camp". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. October 15, 1920. p. 2. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  7. ^ Mittge, Brian (July 17, 2003). "Feds unveil new flood maps". The Chronicle. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  8. ^ Allen, Marqise (January 14, 2011). "Newaukum Bridge Scheduled to Open Next Month". The Chronicle. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Allen, Marqise (May 11, 2010). "Convenience Store Left Isolated by Bridge Closure". The Chronicle. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  10. ^ "Post Offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  11. ^ "Lewis County - Forest". jtenlen.drizzlehosting.com/walewis/townsal.html. Lewis Co. WA GenWeb Project.
  12. ^ "Excellent Mail Facilities". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. May 24, 1901. p. 7. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c Trout Blinks, Ann (February 5, 1994). "Horse-and-buggy days recalled by Chehalis woman". The Chronicle. p. D1. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  14. ^ Jones, Pat (October 28, 2006). "Home, home on the Grange". The Chronicle. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  15. ^ "Grange members to dedicate remodeled fair building at this year's fair". The Chronicle. March 20, 2004. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  16. ^ "Forest Grange Fine New Hall". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. October 20, 1916. p. 5. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  17. ^ "Forest Grangers Set 50th Birthday Sunday". The Daily Chronicle. January 20, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  18. ^ Swayne, Aleta (January 4, 1974). "Reminesence Of Forest School". The Daily Chronicle. p. 3. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  19. ^ a b "Forest School Given Praise". The Centralia Weekly Chronicle. September 6, 1911. p. 4. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  20. ^ "New $8000 Forest School". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. December 24, 1926. p. 1. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  21. ^ "Rejects Forest Bond Issue". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. February 4, 1927. p. 11. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  22. ^ "Gym For Forest". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. January 22, 1937. p. 4. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  23. ^ "Fire Destroys Forest School". The Daily Chronicle. April 18, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  24. ^ a b "What's News In The Twin Cities - Buildings Offered". The Daily Chronicle. July 14, 1966. p. 4. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  25. ^ "Handicapped Classes Open". The Daily Chronicle. November 30, 1955. p. 9. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  26. ^ "To Be Center". The Daily Chronicle. August 19, 1958. p. 12. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  27. ^ "Property Not Needed". The Daily Chronicle. March 2, 1972. p. 1. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  28. ^ "News Briefs - Meeting Changed". The Daily Chronicle. April 13, 1972. p. 13. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  29. ^ "Lewis County 2020 Election". Results.Vote.WA. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  30. ^ MacCracken, Gordon (November 25, 1998). "This is no Mickey Mouse operation - or is it?". The Chronicle. p. 5. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  31. ^ "Over The County". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. March 9, 1900. p. 2. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  32. ^ "Proposed Route Of Petroleum Pipeline In County Disclosed". The Daily Chronicle. July 14, 1964. p. 1. Retrieved June 5, 2024.


 

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