Brief Historical Background of the Port

By the middle of 1927, the City of Shelton had begun to take shape. In addition to complete municipal services (streets, lights, sewers and water), the city was preparing to build a new courthouse. On July 29, 1927 Shelton held an aerial day at its new airport on Scott’s Prairie. Although many wanted to name it Reed Field, it was (at that time) christened Mason County Airport.

• July 7, 1943, the United States Navy commissioned NAAS Shelton, an auxiliary of NAS Seattle. The Navy closed Shelton in December of 1945, eventually returning the airport to the County. After World War II, the diversification of the City of Shelton’s timber-intensive industrial base was an important priority of the local Chamber of Commerce and business community. Stimulating the desire of local entrepreneurs was the need to replace the loss of economic revenues from the downsizing of the Navy’s facilities and developing a centrally-located, multi-purpose industrial site to service the expanding economy.The Port of Shelton was formed on September 27, 1948. The first commissioners in 1949 at the Port of Shelton were Herbert G. Angle, Chairman; Wilbert S. Catto and H.L. Olstead. In December of 1950, a resolution for a public hearing was adopted for the purpose of considering the adoption of a comprehensive scheme of harbor improvement.
• 1951, a resolution was adopted to purchase Shelton tideland lots and provide the rules and regulations for the operation of a marina.
• 1957, the United States General Services Administration deeded the Mason County Airport to the Port of Shelton. The name of the airport was later changed (May 1966) to Sanderson Field in honor of Major General Lawson Sanderson, USMC (ret).
• 1959, the Port paid $25,000 for 406 acres of land for new mills and industrial sites. The property was deeded to the Port in April of 1968 from the United States General Services Administration. This property became the Johns Prairie Industrial site.

There is an interesting philosophy regarding the number of ports that are in existence in Mason County. If you imagine a time when bodies of water were not tied together by roads, yet the need to transport merchandise was an issue, the scheme of things begins to take shape. Recent rulings mandate that unless there is a clear purpose, newly established ports districts will be county wide.

Today, the Port of Shelton consists of an airport, marina and two industrial complexes. The Port continues to prosper and grow, realizing a steady trend of increased revenue with minimal debt.