Mason county lies on the upper reaches of Puget sound, having the
Olympic mountains at its north, where about one-fourth of the county
is in the Olympic forest reserve. Its total area is about 900 square
miles, and it has a population of about 6,000. Hood's canal penetrates
well into the center of the county in its great bend, giving it a
very long salt-water shore line. From the Olympic mountains numerous
streams flow into the Puget sound, while others empty their waters
into Gray's harbor.
The county is a great forest of splendid timber, which has been
only to a limited degree cut out. The soil of the foothills and
valleys Is composed chiefly of shot clays and alluvial deposits,
making good farming, stock-raising and fruit-growing lands.