08/30/2026
Tillicum Park: Where Community Spirit Took Root
Community engagement is the process of working collaboratively with individuals and groups to achieve specific goals. When entering Forks from the North, the City Park sits just off the highway at 549 Tillicum Lane. If one looks at the history of Tillicum Park, it has community engagement written all over it.
After the big Forks Fire in 1951, the town of Forks began to grow. Loggers arrived to salvage the burned areas, and with them came their families. Infrastructure was needed for families, so more churches and the library were built, and the school was added on to. Also at this time, many community organizations were formed. One of these new organizations was the Forks Community Council; it was comprised of representatives from all the clubs and churches and acted as a resource for solving community problems.
In the spring of 1954, the need for a recreation area was brought up. Nansen Anderson was the newly elected president of the Community Council. It was determined the only way to get a park was through community effort.
The most desirable site was at the North end of town, on land owned by the Milwaukee Timber Company. Anderson used profits from land sold on the Hoh to Rayonier, which allowed his company, Anderson Logging, to purchase the property; he then donated the property for the Park. Another four acres were purchased from Bill Converse with $2,000 raised by Anderson and local donors; another acre was purchased with United Good Neighbor funds. In October 1954, the deeds were given to the Town for the park.
Now Community engagement really kicked in. The fairly level site had a few stumps and a gravel pit to fill in. Lions Club, American Legion, VFW, Chamber of Commerce, along with loaned equipment from logging companies, cleared the area. Individuals pulled scotch broom; Boy Scouts picked up rocks.
A contest was held to pick a name for the new park. Nancy Brager Johns and the late Sandy Gossage Pedersen both submitted “Tillicum,” meaning friend in Chinook Jargon.
The first park board members were Dr. R. L. Baker, Russell Thomas, and Mrs. Merrit Corbin.
In 1957, the playground equipment was added: slide, swings, merry-go-round, and climbing bars. The Shay 10 spot locomotive was added in 1959 and dedicated on July 4th 1960. Bogachiel Garden Club landscaped, and Rayonier donated trees.
In 1964, a sign was added to the entrance, and the garden club added shrubs and cherry trees. In 1966, the Scorpion was placed, and a bit later the Vietnam Memorial was added.
The Forks Lions Club added restrooms in 1966. The trees for the lumber were logged by D.J Caukins, and the trees sawed for free by Rosmond Bros. Mill. In addition to a multitude of other projects over the years, the Lions Club has spent uncountable hours doing projects at the Park.
Over the years, other amenities added were the tennis courts; the original nets were purchased from the school for one dollar, and the “Ben Dome” (named after Ben Lonn) was added by the Lions Club in 1978. This amazing covered structure has served the community well during the Fourth of July celebration and many other events.
By the mid-1990s, the Park’s playground equipment had been well used. Over the years, the old metal relics had caused some broken bones and a few stitches. Once again, community engagement was needed. Diane Gaydeski, Devennie Anderson, Lori Crippen, Teresa Osgood, and Brenda Carlsen formed MORE … Mothers and others for recreational equipment raised funds for new equipment.
In 1999, the Lions Club oversaw adding a cover over the Shay, and volunteers stepped up to repair the locomotive.
In 2008, a Grindline Skate park was added, and since then, new restrooms were added and old ones refurbished.
More recently, pickleball courts were added with the help of the Lloyd Allen Trust. The Trust has also helped with several other projects, such as the flag pole.
NOW the current Park Board needs community engagement once again. They want your opinion on what should come next. The playground equipment is aging, some areas need updating and new recreational opportunities could be added. They currently have a survey out, hoping for community engagement to help make a plan for the future. Postcards were mailed, and a link is at the end of this story. Please share your thoughts.
It is poignant that Tillicum Park sits on land that was burned by the big fire that caused the town’s population to grow, which caused a community to organize and get involved.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ForksPROSPriorities?fbclid=IwY2xjawUBBvlwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5keC_ClpkGqm_xdZCnrZ8KNlsQxhxvm7c_XizeaFl0jq45MdlF2MzwOF7fmA_aem_AuOAZeCLJJTbFCl7B08I8Q
Christi Baron
Editor
