HISTORY OF THE DOSEWALLIPS RIVER ROAD

The first survey for a wagon road up the Dosewallips River was made in 1891. Before that it was just a foot trail. It was surveyed as far as the homestead of John Mabon roughly 8 miles upriver. Work began in 1892 but did not proceed smoothly. Money was short. In fact only enough to hire a crew for the month of July plus a team and teamster for 2 days. Wages were $2 a day and the teamster got $8 a day. In 1896 the upriver homesteaders above Mabons petitioned for a road from Mabons to Joseph Beauchamps, a distance of about 3 miles. This is about were the road is washed out now. It took many years for the road to be finished that far and of course it was a gravel road to the beach. In the early 1920's it ended at Corrigenda guard station which was the Wilson homestead. After railroad logging was finished above 6-Mile Bridge, the road ran on a trestle which was decked over and ended at the Mabon homestead. By 1930 it had proceed to Elkhorn Camp which was the trailhead until the Forest Service pushed the road through to the falls and through the sheer cliff there. This was about 1936 and wasn't finished for vehicles through the cliff. After the Olympic National Park was established in 1938 it maintained a ranger station about 100 feet west of Constance Creek and the trail to Constance Lake. Then about 1950 the road was finished on to Muscott Flats by Buck Mountain Logging Co. of Quilcene.

During the 1950's the road was blacktopped for the first 5 miles. Such an improvement after all the years of gravel road with its chuckholes and washboard area…not to mention the dust in summer. The county roadmen that I remember all came from the Duckabush…Mr. Kelly, Andreas Mueller, Herb Solwold and George Weed.

The Forest Service maintained a barn at Elk Horn for years for their pack string. When they weren't using it, we found it so handy to tie our horses overnight before a trip in the mountains. It was 70 years ago that I had my first trip to Dose Meadows. We followed the old trail from Elk Horn, over the Lower Jump Off Bridge to the south side of the river. Then back to the north side by the Upper Jump Off Bridge above the falls. Later in the 1930's the Forest Service declared the bridges unsafe and took them out. After that the trail went thru where the road was punched through the cliff.

I think it is a shame not to rebuild the road through the washout. The wild salmon thing is just a foolish excuse not to rebuild. I think of all the beautiful camping area at Elk Horn and in the National Park at Muscott Flats. Camp grounds are so full now and why deprive people with families and disabled, also the elderly who came to camp in these beautiful spots. Besides the entrance into Olympic National Park is needed.

By Ida Bailey (October 3, 2003)

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