Joseph Sherwood

In 1854, Joseph Sherwood and his brother Warren traveled from their home in Vermont to Sawamish County (name changed to Mason County 10 years later) in the Washington Territory, bringing with them considerable experience in sawing and water power. Soon after settling on land at the western edge of North Bay, they built a waterwheel and sawmill near the mouth of what is now known as Sherwood Creek. They created a dam at the mill site to turn the wheel, and a second one farther up the creek for storage. Joe rigged a jigsaw that cut logs into cants, and a set of small jigs for resawing the can...