Editing Darrington, Washington (section)

===Incorporation and decline of lumber===

Darrington reached a population of 600 residents in 1945 and was officially incorporated as a fourth-class town on October 15, 1945, following a 96–60 vote in favor.<ref name="HL-Incorp"/> The townspeople celebrated by establishing an annual summer festival, the Timberbowl, which ran until 1967 and was initially used to raise funds for a [[fire engine]] and other equipment.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=107–108}} A two-story [[town hall]] was built in 1947, housing the town council chambers, offices for town officials, the [[police department]], the fire department, and a [[public library]].{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=107–108}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Swaney |first=Aaron |date=September 4, 2015 |title=River Time Brewing opens in downtown Darrington |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/life/river-time-brewing-opens-in-downtown-darrington/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=March 10, 2019}}</ref> In 1952, the town built a dedicated [[community center]] to serve as a venue for various social functions and a general gymnasium with seating for 1,200 people.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fiege |first=Gale |date=August 19, 2011 |title=New community center gym floor ready for Darrington's high school athletes |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/new-community-center-gym-floor-ready-for-darringtons-high-school-athletes/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=March 10, 2019}}</ref> A new high school and [[Darrington Municipal Airport|municipal airport]] opened in 1958 at opposite ends of the town.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|page=75}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Bergsman |first=Jerry |date=August 8, 1981 |title=Comprehensive plan paves way for new hangar at airport |page=F7 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref>

Railroad companies with large timber holdings in the area began to leave in the 1960s, leading to the rise of independent "[[Gyppo logger|gyppo]]" loggers who salvaged discarded timber while under contract to regional paper mills.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=162–163}} A large [[open-pit mine]] on Miners Ridge planned by [[Kennecott Utah Copper|Kennecott]] in the late 1960s was halted after intervention from environmental activists and local politicians.<ref>{{cite news |last=Muhlstein |first=Julie |date=April 26, 2020 |title=An open-pit mine that wasn't: Ridge near Glacier Peak spared |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/an-open-pit-mine-that-wasnt-ridge-near-glacier-peak-spared/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=April 27, 2020}}</ref> Northern Pacific ended passenger rail service to the Darrington area in the 1960s, and the passenger depot was demolished in 1967.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=47–50}} The railroad was eventually abandoned in 1990 and its [[Right-of-way (transportation)|right-of-way]] was acquired by the county for conversion into a [[rail trail]].<ref name="Times-Vision"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Reed |first=Claudia |date=September 2, 1993 |title=New hiking trail may go alongside an old rail line |page=4 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref>

The gyppo operations gave way to a small local timber company, Summit Timber, which acquired the largest sawmill in Darrington, now the Hampton mill.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|page=165}}<ref>{{cite news |date=October 19, 2001 |title=Portland company will buy Darrington sawmill |page=E1 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> Several smaller mills in Darrington and surrounding communities, including four for [[cedar shake]]s, closed during the 1960s, leading to further population decline.<ref name="PI-1990">{{cite news |last=Werner |first=Larry |date=September 22, 1990 |title=Timber town of Darrington knows it will survive |page=A10 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> The area's timber industry was also adversely affected by tighter logging restrictions on federal lands during the 1980s and 1990s meant to protect the mountain habitats of threatened and endangered species, including the [[northern spotted owl]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Pryne |first=Eric |date=March 28, 1993 |title=Big trees, big questions |page=A1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> In response, Summit transitioned to processing private forests and lands managed by the [[Washington State Department of Natural Resources]], maintaining its position as the town's largest employer.<ref>{{cite news |last=Erb |first=George |date=August 15, 1999 |title=Ruling spikes timber sales |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/1999/08/16/story3.html |work=[[Puget Sound Business Journal]] |access-date=March 10, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Times-Vision">{{cite news |last=Larsen |first=Richard W. |date=November 17, 1991 |title=A vision for Darrington |page=A21 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19911117/1317701/a-vision-for-darrington |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=March 10, 2019}}</ref> The loss of timber-industry jobs led to local protests, part of the "[[timber wars]]" that erupted across logging communities in the [[Pacific Northwest]] during the 1990s.<ref>{{cite news |date=July 10, 2015 |title=Logging partnership formed for Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/logging-partnership-formed-for-mount-baker-snoqualmie-national-forest/ |work=The Everett Herald |agency=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=March 10, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Broom |first=Jack |date=February 27, 1988 |title=Logging trucks roll to protest forest-use plan |page=A8 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref>