Forks Washington on the Olympic Peninsula

Sixty years ago today a few hot spots remained from a forest fire near Camp Creek.  On September 20, 1951, the humidity dropped and a strong east wind gave life to those remaining embers.  Around 3:00 am on September 20, 1951 a forest fire began its devastating journey down the Calawah River Valley and the citizens of Forks awoke to a rapidly moving fire, headed right for them.  The fire burned 38,000 acres overnight and traveled 18 miles in less than 8 hours, and a desperate effort to save the town began.

Marge Walhgren, a mother of 2 small children, had learned from her mother that there was a forest fire burning.  She recalls going outside that morning and the eeriness of the dark sky during daylight hours.  She says she thought it was raining at first and then she realized it was not rain hitting her face, it was bits of bark, ash and needles falling like rain.  Preparing for possible evacuation she washed diapers and set out her “valuables” to take, her silverware, on the dining room table.  At around 2:15 that afternoon the State Patrol ordered evacuation of women and children.  Volunteers coming in to help fight the fire reported a steady stream of evacuees throughout the day but those remaining had about 15 minutes to pack up and leave before the highway to Port Angeles was cut off.  Wahlgren grabbed the children and the diapers but in the rush totally forgot about her “valuables” her silverware.  Walhgren’s father had just completed building a 40 ft fishing trawler, it sat a block off of main street, he and Walhlgren’s husband Richard stayed behind to save what they could, mainly the trawler.  Walhgren made it to Port Angeles and she remembers the most frustrating thing was trying to get information about what was happening in Forks.  There were rumors that “there was nothing left” “the town is gone”.

When the fire had burned to where Ron’s Food Mart is today, it looked like a losing battle, one witness said houses were exploding like matches.  Then sometime after 6 pm, a southwest breeze sprang up, in a matter of minutes the fire rolled back on itself.  While the danger was not over the town was spared.  Around 38 structures were lost but there was no loss of life. After the fire a state forestry supervisor said, “The saving of Forks was a miracle, made up of hard work, guts and luck.”

If you haven't seen this video yet, you're missing out! It's based on a house remix of South Korean pianist/composer Yiruma's River Flows in You, but what got our attention (of course . . .) is the professionally filmed footage of Forks and the West End. Wow! Director Mark Feuerstake clearly knows how to capture that eery forest feeling. We suspect that he--like most of the German visitors we see here in Forks--knows from personal experience what real forests are like. Nicely done!

We see this small herd of elk just about every morning on our way to work. Having endured urban commutes for a number of years, it's hard to complain too much about our typical Forks commute--you often see more elk than traffic!

A large section (20 blocks) of the AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display in Forks from March 1-6, 2010. The display is located at the Forks High School Auxiliary Gym, 261 South Spartan Avenue. The goal of the AIDS Quilt project is to provide a creative means for remembrance and healing, to effectively illustrate the enormity of the AIDS pandemic, to increase awareness of HIV and AIDS throughout the general public, to assist others in providing education on the prevention of HIV infection, and to raise funds for community-based AIDS Service Organizations (ASO's). Volunteers are needed to help with the quilt display--please contact the Forks Chamber of Commerce today at 360-374-2531 (or toll-free at 1-800-443-6757) or by This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to get further information about how you can participate.

This little trail has something for everyone!

• Wide, level and only about 0.3 mile long
• Located in Klahowya Campground--right off US Highway 101 at about milepost 212--convenient place for a quick break
• Borders scenic Sol Duc River--winds through old homestead site
• Crosses historic Snider-Jackson trail
• Interesting and informative interpretive signs along the way

→Our photo gallery slideshow takes you on a quick tour around this fun loop trail.