Skokomish Indian Tribe

The Skokomish (pronounced ) are one of nine tribes of the Twana, a Native American people of western Washington state in the United States. The tribe lives along Hood Canal, a fjord-like inlet on the west side of the Kitsap Peninsula and the Puget Sound basin. Historically the Twana were hunters, fishers, and gatherers who had a nomadic lifestyle during the warmer months, while living in more permanent homes during the winter months. Today, Skokomish people are enrolled in the federally recognized Skokomish Indian Tribe. Like many Northwest Coast indigenous peoples, the Skokomish rely heavily on fishing for their survival.

Mason County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,726. The county seat and only incorporated city is Shelton. The county was formed out of Thurston County on March 13, 1854. Originally named Sawamish County, it took its present name in 1864 in honor of Charles H. Mason, the first Secretary of Washington Territory.Mason County comprises the Shelton, WA Micropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Seattle-Tacoma, WA Combined Statistical Area.

Potlatch State Park is a 57-acre (23 ha) Washington state park located on Hood Canal near the town of Potlatch in Mason County. The park offers camping, hiking, boating, fishing, shellfish harvesting, beachcombing, and sailboarding.

The Skokomish River (Twana: squʔquʔ) is a river in Mason County, Washington, United States. It is the largest river flowing into Hood Canal, a western arm of Puget Sound. From its source at the confluence of the North and South Forks the main stem Skokomish River is approximately 9 miles (14 km) long. The longer South Fork Skokomish River is 40 miles (64 km), making the length of the whole river via its longest tributary about 49 miles (79 km). The North Fork Skokomish River is approximately 34 miles (55 km) long. A significant part of the Skokomish River's watershed is within Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park.

During the Vashon Glaciation a series of lakes formed along the southern margin of the Cordilleran Ice Cap. In the Hood Canal depression, two significant lake stages existed, Lake Skokomish and Lake Hood. Early Lake Skokomish’s surface was at 350 ft (110 m) above sea level, draining across the divide at Shelton, Washington into early Glacial Lake Russell. As the glacier receded northward, this freshwater lake grew in size, until the ice was north of the Clifton channel. With the opening of the Clifton channel, the water dropped to 160 m (520 ft) above sea level. This longer and lower level lake is referred to as Lake Hood. The glacier continued to recede northward until it reached the Poulsbo channel. Here, the water level equalized to Glacial Lake Russell no longer having a separate identify.

Union or Union City is a small census-designated place in Mason County, Washington, United States. The community lies along the southern shore of the Great Bend of the Hood Canal, near the mouth of the Skokomish River, which flows from the nearby Olympic Mountains. The U.S. Census reported a population of 631 inhabitants in the 2010 census. The ZIP Code for Union is 98592. State Route 106 is the main route through Union, leading to Belfair farther north, and Potlatch and US Highway 101 to the south.

Amelia is a ghost town in Mason County, in the U.S. state of Washington.A post office called Amelia was established in 1895, and remained in operation until 1901. Amelia Edmonds, an early postmaster, gave the community her name.

Lake Kokanee, also known as Lower Lake Cushman, is a 150-acre (607,000 m²) reservoir on the North Fork of the Skokomish River in Mason County, Washington. The lake is maintained by Cushman Dam No. 2, providing electrical power to the Tacoma Power system.

Cushman Dam No. 2 is a hydroelectric dam on the North Fork of the Skokomish River in Mason County, Washington, United States, forming Lake Kokanee. Built in 1930, its three 27,000 kilowatt generators provide 233 million kilowatt-hours annually to the Tacoma Power system. Along with Cushman Dam No. 1, it is part of Tacoma Power's Cushman Project. Construction began in 1929 and power production began in December 1930. The dam is 575 feet (175 m) long, 8 feet (2.4 m) wide at the top and 40 feet (12 m) at the base. It is 235 feet tall. Its reservoir, Lake Kokanee, is 2 miles (3.2 km) long.

Washington's 35th legislative district is one of forty-nine districts in Washington state for representation in the state legislature. It covers all of Mason County, and parts of Thurston and Kitsap counties. The district's legislators are state senator Drew MacEwen (R) and state representatives Dan Griffey (R; position 1) and Travis Couture (R; position 2). The previous Senator, Tim Sheldon stated in March 2022 that he did not intend to run for reelection in the next cycle. MacEwen, who previously served as Representative in Position 2, ran for and was elected in November 2022 to replace Sheldon in the Senate.

The Ridge Motorsports Park is located near Shelton, Washington, approximately 25 mi (40 km) northwest of Olympia, Washington. Ground was broken for the Steve Crawford designed road course on 26 April 2011. The full road course is 2.470 mi (3.975 km) long with 16 turns and a change in elevation of more than 300 ft (91 m) from start to finish. The first event at "The Ridge" was a charity event benefitting local Mason County food banks, held on 10–11 December 2011.The first official race, a Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association - WMRRA event, was held on 26 May 2012. Subsequent events include championship racing by regional car and motorcycle sanctioning bodies, lapping events by car clubs, motorcycle organizations, and other events. For the 2014 season, turn 13 of the original road circuit was reconfigured to mitigate excessive surface degradation, and the terrain surrounding the road circuit underwent an enormous amount of grading and smoothing prior to the application of topsoil and hydro-seeding, to both enhance the appearance of the facility and to manage runoff. New poured in place concrete barrier walls were constructed to replace temporary barriers, curbing was added in several places and additional new paving was completed. Finally, a large spectator viewing area was created on the upper part of the site. In 2015, an outdoor scale replica kart track was added to the site, named "Olympic Grand Prix", or "OGP". OGP is a 1/5th scale replica of the road circuit, including elevation change. Additionally for 2015, the available paved paddock area was nearly doubled in size. For 2016, electrical power and water systems were brought on line and a bathroom & shower building was completed. Construction of a new motocross facility called "Ridge MX", also began in the spring of 2016, with initial test laps being run on 6 May 2016. An invitational pre-grand opening test event was held on 1 October 2016 and the official grand opening was held on 29 October 2016. In 2020, The Ridge Motorsports park added a chicane to the 2,850 ft (870 m) front straight to slow down superbikes ahead of its inaugural MotoAmerica event on June 26–28. Use of the chicane is optional for each sanctioning body and track day organizer.

Ink Blot Natural Area Preserve is a Washington state Natural Area Preserve located in Mason County. The preserve totals 153 acres (62 ha), mostly wetlands and Sphagnum bogs in three parallel glacier-formed basins.The preserve was created in 2010 with a purchase by the State of Washington from a private landowner.