95 Years of News …and One Well-Traveled Bridge
Published 1:30 am Thursday, August 6, 2026
It hit me last week that I completely missed an important birthday. Somehow, in the busyness of July, I forgot to wish the Forks Forum a happy 95th birthday!
As it turns out, the Forks Forum and the Hoh River Bridge are the same age. Both came into the world in 1931. Although, judging by this week’s traffic delays, I have to admit the newspaper seems to be aging a little more gracefully than the bridge.
Looking back through that very first edition is always a treat. The paper proudly announced the upcoming August opening of the Olympic Highway to the south and described the new Hoh River Bridge as a “magnificent structure.” I’m sure it truly was. Until the highway officially opened, motorists could drive as far as the bridge, but they weren’t supposed to cross it. You have to wonder how many curious drivers couldn’t resist taking a peek at the other side.
The bridge, built by the Union Bridge & Dredge Company of Portland, Oregon, was 20 feet wide, took a year to complete, and carried a price tag of $90,000. At the time, it was a remarkable investment in connecting our corner of the Olympic Peninsula. Ninety-five years later, it’s still doing its job, even if it’s showing every one of those years with one-lane traffic and a list of needed repairs.
That first edition also mentioned that contractor S.S. Mullen, who had built the 1925 Forks High School, had just begun work on a much-needed addition, and expected to have it finished before school started. Starting a school addition and wrapping it up in just a few weeks. I imagine permitting was a whole lot simpler back then.
Reading those old editions is a reminder that while the buildings, bridges, and roads around us change, the stories of this community keep rolling along. For 95 years, the Forks Forum has had the privilege of recording those stories, one week at a time. Here’s to the next chapter… and to hoping the old Hoh River Bridge hangs in there a little longer, too.
Christi Baron
Editor
