Editing Forks, Washington (section)

==History==

===Indigenous settlement===

Forks was once inhabited by the [[Quileute]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] tribe, before they ceded their territory.<ref name="HistoryLink">{{cite web |last=Van Pelt |first=Julie |date=December 10, 2007 |title=Forks — Thumbnail History |url=http://www.historylink.org/File/8397 |work=[[HistoryLink]] |access-date=October 20, 2018}}</ref> In 1889 a [[Quileute Indian Reservation|reservation]] was created near Forks; that same year the village was burnt down by settler Daniel Pullen. Forks is 12 miles from tribal burning areas that area tribes used to regenerate young ferns. The phrase "prairie upstream" from Quileute language was translated and became the name Forks Prairie.<ref name="HistoryLink"/>

===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"/>

===Modern history===
Forks was officially incorporated on August 7, 1945,<ref name="HistoryLink" /> following an election of the constituents who would become its first town members.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

The local timber industry boomed from the 1950s to 1970s, earning Forks the self-proclaimed title of "Logging Capital of the World."  Changes in environmental policy led to a significant decline in the timber industry in the 1980s and 1990s.  Timber harvesting is still part of the local economy, but at levels far below the peak of the 1970s.<ref>Dietrich, William {{Google books|dWDpBblF9vgC|The Final Forest|page=12}}</ref>

The city gained popularity for being a key setting in [[Stephenie Meyer]]'s [[Twilight (novel series)|''Twilight'' series]] (2005 to 2008) and related film adaptations (2008 to 2012).