Grisdale

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Grisdale, WA

Camp Grisdale, located in the Olympic Mountains, was the last company owned logging camp in the lower 48 states. The following appeared in the Aberdeen Daily World - July 7, 2005. "This year marks the 20th anniversary of the shutdown of Camp Grisdale, the last residential logging camp in the continental United States.

Grisdale was a company town owned by the Simpson Timber Co. All the houses closely resembled each other. There was no private ownership that I am aware of. The town had a comapny store, small movie theater, and school. Grisdale was the last operating company logging town in the lower 48 states. With its location in the southern edge of the Olympic Mountains, it had a very beautiful location. With excellet hunting and fishing literally minutes from the town. In fact deer, elk, and black bears where frequent visitors to the town. The area has been bulldozed and little is left.

I grew up in Grisdale (1962-1977). The houses and buildings were razed in 1988, but the campsite is still pretty easy to find. From Montesano it is 37 miles up the Wynoochee valley road. The campsite sign has been torn down, but there are a set of old mail boxes on your right hand side (A big set) just a half mile inside the Olympic National Forest boundary. Park by the mail boxes and follow the old road in. The old road goes in about 100 yards and then a road forks to the right; this road takes you right in to the old family home sites. If you follow the other road strait you will come to a fork to the left which will take you to the work area and the area where the bunkhouses for the single guys were located