Editing Forks, Washington (section)

===Early settlement===

The first European American settlers in the modern-day Forks Prairie arrived in the 1860s by following the waterways in and around the [[Olympic Peninsula]] due to a lack of overland trails. A proposal to create [[Quillehuyte County, Washington|Quillehuyte County]] from the western sides of Clallam and Jefferson counties was accepted by the territorial legislature in 1868 but dissolved a year later.{{cn|date=February 2025}} The first [[Homestead Acts|homestead]] on the prairie was claimed in January 1878 by Luther and Esther Ford. Their {{convert|160|acre|ha|adj=mid}} property included the first dairy in the area, set up in 1879, and was later joined by other homesteads. A [[post office]] opened in the cabin of Ole Nelson, a local trapper, in 1884 and was named "Forks"; their preferred name "Ford's Prairie" had already been taken by another settlement in the territory.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> The name "Forks" was chosen for the forks of three nearby rivers.<ref name="HistoryLink"/>

Rudimentary trails and roads were built by settlers in the 1880s and 1890s to create trade routes; the nearest markets were in [[Port Townsend, Washington|Port Townsend]] and later [[Port Angeles, Washington|Port Angeles]], but the seasonal supply boats were unable to take large cargo.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> Timber around the prairie was cleared by settlers and small-time loggers in the late 19th century. They were followed by timber companies, including [[Merrill & Ring]] around the [[Pysht River]] in 1916, until the [[Olympic Forest Reserve]] was established in 1897 by the federal government. The forest reserve was gradually reduced in size but later contributed most of the land for [[Olympic National Park|Olympic National Monument]] (now Olympic National Park), which was established in 1909, and the [[Olympic National Forest]].<ref name="HistoryLink"/> Logging of non-federal land continued, but slowed during the [[Panic of 1907|1907 national recession]]. The [[U.S. Army]] sought to use the region's [[Sitka spruce]] to construct airplanes during [[World War I]] and built a {{convert|36|mi|km|adj=mid}} railroad to Port Angeles to aid in transport; the railroad was not used due to the end of the war.<ref name="HistoryLink"/>

The Mora post moved to Forks in the early 1890s which consisted of a general store, hardware store, and a hotel. In the early 1900s, hop growing declined and the Forks Cooperative Creamery was established which operated for 70 years.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> The town of Forks was [[plat]]ted in 1912 on the homestead of Merrill Whittier, a [[hop (plant)|hop]] farmer. It served as the economic center of the area between the [[Hoh River]] and Quillayute Prairie but only had a single block of buildings in its first decade.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> A fire on January 10, 1925, destroyed six buildings on the west side of the town; they were replaced later in the year along with plans for a new [[high school]] and social halls.<ref>{{cite news |date=July 15, 1925 |title=Forks Rebuilds From Ashes of Winter Blaze; Is Better Town Than Ever Was Before |page=1 |work=[[Port Angeles Evening News]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/peninsula-daily-news-forks-rebuilds-from/165130647/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |accessdate=February 10, 2025}}</ref> A new road passable for automobiles opened from Lake Crescent to Forks in 1927 and was replaced by the Olympic Loop Highway ([[U.S. Route 101 in Washington|US 101]]) in 1931.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> Another fire on Main Street in 1930 caused further damage.<ref name="HistoryLink"/>