Lake Cushman is a lake and reservoir on the north fork of the

Skokomish River The Skokomish River 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 Riv ...

Mason County, Washington 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. Original ...

. The lake originally was a long narrow broadening of the Skokomish River formed in a

glacial trough U-shaped valleys, also called trough valleys or glacial troughs, are formed by the process of glaciation. They are characteristic of mountain glaciation in particular. They have a characteristic U shape in cross-section, with steep, straight s ...

and dammed by a terminal moraine from the Vashon Glaciation during the most recent ice age. The lake was expanded after construction of the

Cushman Dam No. 1 Cushman Dam No. 1 is a hydroelectric dam on the North Fork of the Skokomish River in Mason County, Washington, which in derogation of the natural and treaty rights of the Native inhabitants impounded and enlarged the formerly natural Lake Cushman, ...

. The lake is maintained by this dam and provides

electrical power Electric power is the rate at which electrical energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt, one joule per second. Standard prefixes apply to watts as with other SI units: thousands, millions and billions of ...

to the

Tacoma Power Tacoma Power is a public utility providing electrical power to Tacoma, Washington and the surrounding areas. Tacoma Power serves the cities of Tacoma, University Place, Fircrest, and Fife, and also provides service to parts of Steilacoom, L ...

system. As a popular retreat for hiking, fishing, boating and kayaking, Lake Cushman's shoreline is dotted with resorts and rental cabins. The lake is notable for its beautiful crystal clear blue water and the huge round rocks surrounding it, as well as thick stands of hemlock, fir and cedar trees. Lake Cushman was named in honor of Orrington Cushman, who served as interpreter for Governor

Isaac Stevens Isaac Ingalls Stevens (March 25, 1818 – September 1, 1862) was an American military officer and politician who served as governor of the Territory of Washington from 1853 to 1857, and later as its delegate to the United States House of Represen ...

during the

Treaty of Point Elliott The Treaty of Point Elliott of 1855, or the Point Elliott Treaty,—also known as Treaty of Point Elliot (with one ''t'') / Point Elliott Treaty—is the lands settlement treaty between the United States government and the Native American tribes ...

negotiations with Puget Sound Natives in 1854.

Geography

Lake Cushman sits at above sea level and its maximum depth reaches up to . It is estimated to be around in length. The northern part of the lake (FS-24) is near the Staircase Entrance to

Olympic National Park Olympic National Park is a United States national park located in the State of Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula. The park has four regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west-side temperate rainforest, and the forests of the drier ...

. The closest city is Hoodsport, located to the southeast via State Route 119. Surrounding the lake are Mount Ellinor,

Mount Washington Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934, ...

, Cub Peak, Mount Gladys, and Mount Rose. Access to Lake Cushman is limited during the winter months due to road closures and hazardous conditions. In an average winter, the lake water level drops by .

History

Antler's Hotel, Lake Cushman, Washington, ca 1913 (WASTATE 634)

In 1889, the Antlers Hotel was built on Lake Cushman by a pair of East Coast businessmen on the property of Russell Homan. It attracted tourists from the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

area, who would arrive at Hoodsport by

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

and continue onward to Lake Cushman via

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

. The two-story hotel was destroyed in 1925 after it was inundated by rising lake waters following the construction of the

by the City of Tacoma. After the property was flooded, many have attempted to search for the remains of the hotel under the lake.

Recreation

Hiking

The Lake Cushman area offers access to multiple hiking trails: * Big Creek Campground Trail #827 * Big Creek Trailhead * Big Creek Upper Loop #827.1 * Copper Creek Trail #876 * Copper Creep Trailhead * Dry Creek East Trailhead * Dry Creek Trail #872 * Jefferson Pass Trailhead * Mt. Ellinor Connector Trail #827.2 * Mt. Ellinor Lower Trailhead * Mt. Ellinor Trail #812 * Mt. Ellinor Upper Trailhead

Fishing

Lake Cushman has year-round open season fishing and is stocked with

Kokanee salmon The kokanee salmon (''Oncorhynchus nerka''), also known as the kokanee trout, little redfish, silver trout, kikanning, Kennerly's salmon, Kennerly's trout, or Walla, is the non-anadromous form of the sockeye salmon (meaning that they do not migrat ...

and

Cutthroat trout The cutthroat trout is a fish species of the family Salmonidae native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean, Rocky Mountains, and Great Basin in North America. As a member of the genus '' Oncorhynchus'', it is one of the Pacific tro ...

. Skokomish Park is fitted with a boat ramp with three paved ramps that allows access to the lake for a small day-use fee. Boat rentals are also available at the park.

Swimming and watersports

Swimming, boating, kayaking and cliff jumping are also among the most popular activities for Lake Cushman visitors. Public access to the lake is available at Skokomish Park and Lake Cushman Resort.

Lodging

The Skokomish Park campground is a former

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

that was sold to private operators in 2002. The campground includes tent and RV campsites, group campsites and picnic areas. Further away from the lake are Big Creek Campground in Olympic National Forest and Staircase Campground in Olympic National Park. Big Creek offers tent sites and RV parking and is situated from the lake. Staircase is from Lake Cushman and offers 47 camping sites. The Lake Cushman Resort was permanently closed in 2018 due to the expiration of its 50-year lease with

Tacoma Public Utilities Tacoma Public Utilities is the public utility service for the city of Tacoma, Washington. It was formed in 1893 when the citizens of Tacoma voted to buy the privately owned Tacoma Light & Water Company. It is the largest department in Tacoma City ...

Incidents

In August 2020, the

U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...

closed all public roads leading to Lake Cushman due to concerns of overcrowding amid the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. A weekend traffic jam on the lake's primary two-lane, unpaved road had caused concerns about access for emergency vehicles, including an incident where one man died of drowning. The Forest Service also cited the congregation of people as being a potential vector for spreading COVID-19 and noted several fights, assaults, and other incidents.

References

External links

Lake Levels and River Flows
Cushman Project Settlement,

Photograph of Lake Cushman circa 1899 from the Lick Observatory Records Digital Archive, UC Santa Cruz Library's Digital Collections
{{authority control Cushman Bodies of water of Mason County, Washington Olympic National Forest Tacoma Public Utilities