Morton, Washington

Morton is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,036 at the 2020 census.

History
Morton was first settled in 1871 by James Fletcher. It was later named after Benjamin Harrison's Vice President, Levi P. Morton, in 1889. Morton was officially incorporated on January 7, 1913.

In July 1924, a large portion of Morton's downtown district was decimated in a fire, affecting 18 blocks. Beginning at the Hilts Hotel, the blaze spread and destroyed 19 commercial buildings, including structures deemed fireproof. A new building collapsed and the Arcade Theater and two general stores were in ruins. With the exception of a housing section for railroad employees, residential areas in Morton were spared; only one minor injury was reported. Another fire engulfed the area several years later, setting fire to the post office.

The White Pass Highway (part of U.S. Route 12) was relocated through Morton in December 1967 due to the creation of Riffe Lake behind Mossyrock Dam, which inundated the old route.

As part of a single-evening act of vandalism towards LGBTQ symbols in June 2023 that also affected Chehalis, Washington, a window and a rainbow bench outside of a business in the city were damaged.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.83 sqmi, of which 0.82 sqmi is land and 0.01 sqmi is water.

Climate
This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Morton has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,036, there were 506 housing units and 503 families. The racial makeup of the city was 88.1% White, 7.7% from two or more races, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 1.7% from other races, 1.3% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% African American and 1 person was Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

There were 506 households, of which 18.2% had minors living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 26.2% had a female householder with no spouse present and 17.9% had a male householder with no spouse present. The average family size was 2.89. 80.5% owned a house, and the median gross rent was $900. 63.3% of occupied units paying rent paid $500 to $999, 18.4% paid $1,000 to $1,499, 10.2% paid less than $500 and 8.2% paid $1,500 to $1,499.

The median age in the city was 49.5. 18.2% of the population was under the age of 18, 31.3% was between the ages 20-44, 28.3% was between the ages 45-64 and 23.1% were 65 years and older. The gender markup of the city was 53.6% male and 46.3% female. 6.5% of the population were veterans and 31.0% of the population were disabled.

The median household income was $55,156 and 13.5% of the population was in poverty. The employment rate was 40.8%. 28.4% of employed workers worked in retail trade, 23.5% worked in arts, entertainment and food services, 14.0% worked in educational service and healthcare, 11.3% worked in manufacturing, 7.5% worked in public administration, 4.9% worked in construction, 2.9% worked in finance or real estate, 2.4% worked in professional, scientific, management, and administrative and waste management services, 2.2% worked in other services, 1.6% worked in agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting, or mining and 1.3% worked in transportation, warehousing and utilites. The mean usual hours worked was 36.6, 40.1 hours for males and 33.2 hours for females.

2010 census
According to the 2010 census, there were 1,126 people, 461 households, and 283 families residing in the city. The population density was 1373.2 PD/sqmi. There were 535 housing units at an average density of 652.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 94.2% White, 0.5% African American, 1.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 1.8% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.9% of the population.

There were 461 households, of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.6% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.83.

The city had a median age of 46.3 years. Among the population, 20.3% were under 18 years old, 8.2% were between 18 and 24, 19.5% were aged 25 to 44, 25.8% were between 45 and 64, and 26.2% were 65 years old or older. The gender distribution was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

Economy
Historic sources of revenue in the early days of Morton included logging, harvesting of cascara bark, and mining for cinnabar (mercury ore) in local mines. Morton was once known as the "tie mill capital of the world" in the 1950s. The longest railroad tie dock in the world ran along the railroad tracks east of Morton.

Timber processing and logging are a large component of Morton's economy though the community suffered hardships during the loss of timber production due to environmental laws enacted in the late 20th century. , two lumber mills reside in the town.

Charitable organizations
Morton's downtown arts center is supported by the Fire Mountain Arts Council (FMAC), a non-profit formally incorporated in 2003. The group purchased the Roxy Theater and managed and found funding for the venue's restoration efforts that was completed in 2024. The FMAC also manages an art gallery and the Tiller Arts and Events Center in Morton.

Festivals and events
The Morton Loggers’ Jubilee is a weekend celebration of the city's history of logging, usually held in August. Due to a lack of permanent records, the actual year the jubilee began is unknown, however there are reports of a beginning timeline of 1937 or 1938. The event has been a tradition since the 1940s and is proclaimed as the "granddaddy of all logging shows". Highlights include the coronation of a Jubilee Queen, lawnmower and bed racing, and competitive logging contests, which continues the original practice of the jubilee to be a "friendly competition between loggers". A parade, flea market, live music, and street dance performances round out the festivities. In her first homecoming show in Morton, Brandy Clark performed during the 75th anniversary of the event in 2017. Visitors to the city are welcomed with a wooden sculpture of a lumberjack, given the title "Big Ole", signifying the jubilee's importance to the community.

Historic buildings and sites
The downtown district is home to the Roxy Theater, first opened in 1938; the first film shown was Thin Ice, starring figure skater Sonja Henie. The movie house was previously the site of another venue known as the Arcade Theater. Having been dormant since 1980, the site was heavily restored beginning in the early 2000s and finished by 2006. The Roxy was fully opened for films and theater productions the following year. A further remodeling effort began during the Covid-19 pandemic, which included an addition to the building used as a backstage, and was completed in 2024. The theater holds live theatrical performances and film viewings. The Roxy is also home to an art gallery.

Parks and recreation
Located on Morton's east side lies Jubilee Park, home of the Loggers Jubilee.

Bordering the Tilton River is Gust Backstrom City Park, often home to the city's farmer's market and was the location of the Old Settlers Museum. The grounds, in 1896, were home to the first schoolhouse built in the town. The park is used by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to deliver migrating Chinook salmon, circumventing the dams on the Cowlitz River.

Politics
Morton has historically voted Republican although less so than Lewis County as a whole.

The 2020 election included 9 votes for candidates of the Libertarian Party.

Education
There are two schools, Morton Elementary and Morton Junior-Senior High. Centralia College East is adjacent to the Junior-Senior High facility.

The Morton-White Pass boy's high school basketball team won back-to-back state championships in 2014 and 2015. The first title was achieved during an undefeated season.

Infrastructure
The community is among 8 locations that are part of an EV installation project on the White Pass Scenic Byway. The program will stretch from the White Pass Ski Area to Chehalis and is run in partnership with Lewis County PUD, Twin Transit, state government agencies, and local community efforts. The venture began in 2023 from two grants totaling over $1.8 million.

In 2023, Lewis County Transit began offering weekday, direct-route service from Centralia's Mellen Street e-Transit Station to the Morton Energy Station. The route, given the moniker "Brown Line", allows options for commuters to connect to other transit services in western Washington, such as Intercity Transit, RiverCities Transit, and the Cowlitz Tribal transportation system.

Strom Field Airport
Strom Field Airport is a single-runway municipal airfield located immediately southeast of the downtown core. Named after Stan T. Strom, a local devotee of aviation, the 10 acre airport was constructed between 1964 and 1965. The airstrip is 1,810 ft in length and is 40 ft wide. The airport was reported to be home to 6 aircraft and generated a revenue of over $28,000 in a 2010 economic impact analysis.

Notable people

 * Bill Bryant, Seattle Port Commissioner
 * Brandy Clark, singer/songwriter for many Nashville recording artists such as LeAnn Rimes and Reba McEntire
 * Roger "Buzz" Osborne, singer/songwriter/guitarist for the rock band Melvins