Winlock, Washington

Winlock is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,472 at the 2020 census. It was named after territorial army general, Winlock M. Miller, who briefly resided there. Winlock is mostly famous for having the World's Largest Egg, reflecting its former status as a major producer of eggs. Early in its history, Winlock attracted many immigrants from Finland, Germany, and Sweden.

Origin
Winlock began as a Northern Pacific Railroad construction camp called Wheeler's Camp in c. 1871. The railroad was then in the process of extending its line from Kalama to Tacoma, Washington. Dr. C. C. Pagett, an early resident, donated the land for the townsite. In 1873, he named it for General William Winlock Miller of Olympia, a man of some renown in the area. Miller had promised to give a school bell to the town if it were to be named after him. The town was incorporated in 1883.

Early economy
Lumbering was the initial economic driver. A number of sawmills were established beginning in the late 1800s. In the late 1920s there were four mills in operation, employing 350 men and producing over 30 million board feet of fir lumber annually.

Agriculture developed in the early 1900s with the impetus on the raising of poultry and the production of eggs. A branch of the Washington Cooperative Egg & Poultry Association located in the town constructed a large building in the north end of town, near the railroad tracks, around 1920. It housed grain storage bins and poultry processing facilities. The building remains standing today. Several hatcheries were located in the town. More than 750,000 baby chicks were produced during the 1928 season.

In 1922 it was noted in a local newspaper that the only American city that produced more eggs than Winlock was Petaluma, California. In a single weekend in 1923, Winlock shipped 38,400 dozen eggs to New York state. Winlock at that time was touted as the "Egg and Poultry Capital of the World".

21st century
A fire in Winlock's downtown area consumed the city's historic Warne's Drug Store building in late 2022. The structure was built in 1911 but burned down the following year. Rebuilt soon thereafter, the building housed the now-defunct Winlock News and Winlock Phone Company, as well as other various businesses for the next century. At the time of loss, the location was used as a hostel for six years. An annexation proposal by the city to incorporate Winlock's urban growth area (UGA) was dismissed in 2023 by the Lewis County Supreme Court over a combination of protests from residents in the UGA and the questions of statutory and filing periods and connected legal authority. The UGA, formed from a county contract in 2006, is recorded as containing 1,335 acre with a population of 335 residents. A citizen-led petition for the proposal to be reviewed by the Washington State Boundary Review Board for Lewis County exceeded the minimum voting requirements and a subsequent unanimous approval of the annexation by the board occurred in August of that year. The final vote of the adoption of the incorporation plan would require the majority vote of the Winlock city council, expected in September 2023.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.29 sqmi, all of it land.

Olequa Creek, a main tributary of the Cowlitz River, runs through the center of town from north to south.

The eastern edge of the Willapa Hills lie to the west. To the east are relatively flat prairies. A notable landmark about four miles west of town is Sam Henry Mountain, elevation 1492 ft, named for an early section superintendent of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Mt. St. Helens, about 40 mi to the east can be seen from viewpoints around the area. In May 1980, Winlock was covered with about 1 in of volcanic ash from the second major eruption of this peak one week after the cataclysmic eruption of May 18.

2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 1,339 people, 475 households, and 327 families residing in the city. The population density was 1038.0 PD/sqmi. There were 535 housing units at an average density of 414.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 84.7% White, 0.7% African American, 1.6% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 8.4% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.1% of the population.

There were 475 households, of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.2% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.26.

The median age in the city was 34 years. 30.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.2% were from 25 to 44; 23.9% were from 45 to 64; and 12.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.2% male and 48.8% female.

2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 1,166 people, 420 households, and 286 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,073.6 people per square mile (413.0/km2). There were 462 housing units at an average density of 425.4 per square mile (163.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.25% White, 0.17% African American, 0.77% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 6.17% from other races, and 3.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.58% of the population. 22.1% were of German, 18.4% English, 12.2% American and 7.3% Irish ancestry.

There were 420 households, out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.38.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 31.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,000, and the median income for a family was $38,875. Males had a median income of $31,667 versus $20,547 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,269. About 13.4% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.4% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.

Festivals and events
The first Winlock Egg Days Festival was held in 1921 after a paved road, Washington State Route 505, was completed between the town and the extinct community of Cowlitz. Known at first as the "Poultry and Egg Day", the annual event incorporates the city's poultry history and a local resident is honored as a festival marshal.

Since 2000, the city has hosted an annual Winlock Pickersfest (formerly known as the Winlock Bluesgrass Festival) at Winolequa Park. The festival focuses on the use of stringed instruments, particularly the banjo, and are incorporated into various musical genres including Americana, bluegrass, and jazz. The three-day event is usually held on the first weekend of August.

Winlock Egg


The Winlock Egg was listed as the world's largest egg by Ripley's Believe It or Not! in 1989. The current structure is the fourth reincarnation of the original egg.

The first egg was built for a celebration of the opening of the Pacific Highway Bridge over the Columbia River between Washington and Oregon. The idea of an egg came from John G. Lawrence, the manager of the newly formed egg and poultry co-op as a way to represent the growing industry centered in Winlock in the 1920s. During that time farmers in Winlock were shipping as much as a quarter million cases of eggs to market a year.

The first egg was made of an egg shaped wood frame stretched with canvas and painted white. It was mounted onto a truck as part of a parade of floats and vehicles that traveled from Olympia, Washington to Salem, Oregon on October 23, 1923, to celebrate the expansion of trade between Washington and Oregon through the railroad. After the parade, the egg was placed on a platform near the train depot, and has since remained a source of local pride.

The first egg was covered with plaster and measured 12 ft long, with a maximum diameter of 8 ft. After 20 years in the elements, the 2,000 lb egg had deteriorated and was replaced by a plastic version made by a new company to the area, the Johnny Simpson's Plastic Company. This version lasted until 1958 when it fell from its rotted platform and cracked. A fiberglass replacement was made but not installed until 1965. Weighing in at 1,500 lb, the fiberglass egg was 15 ft in length but there were concerns that it was shaped too much like a football. The community created a fenced park, Vern Zander Memorial Park, around the attraction and the egg was labeled with a sign denoting it as the world's largest egg.

Another fiberglass replacement egg was installed in 1991. The new 1,200 lb sculpture was part of the Winlock Egg Day Parade before it was placed in the Vern Zander Memorial Park on top of a 10 ft steel support. The egg, in the 21st century, has been painted to reflect certain interests or events, including being depicted as a red, white, and blue American flag after the 9/11 attacks and decorated with the Seattle Seahawks logo in the 2010s.

Parks and recreation
The city is home to Winolequa Park, Winlock's largest public park. Also known as Winolequa Memorial Park, it began by community volunteer effort in the 1960s and 1970s.

Winlock was the planned site for the Southwest Washington Regional Equestrian Center. Also known as the REQ Center, formal planning began in 2006 and the horse arena was to have a seating capacity of over 7,000 people and was estimated to cost between $50 million and $80 million. The equestrian center was projected to present a variety of professional horse and rodeo competitions. An official site was chosen in 2008 but the center's placement in Winlock was cancelled that same year after a project manager and a developer were fined after pleading guilty to illegally filling approximately 100 acre of wetlands at the location. In 2009, the arena was proposed to be moved to Napavine.

Politics
Winlock is recognized as being majority Republican and conservative.

The 2020 election included votes for candidates of the Libertarian Party and 6 votes for write-in candidates.

Government
The city council for Winlock consists of 5 at-large, non-partisan members. The mayor, elected by the citizens of the city, also functions as Winlock's chief administrative officer.

Sports
The Winlock high school football team won Class B state titles in 1955, 1958, and 1959. Annually, a senior player is chosen to receive the Otis Roundtree Award, name after a local resident who played football for the University of Washington in the 1890s. The tradition started in the 1920s to honor the most inspirational footballer on the team and is considered one of the oldest high school awards still in existence within the state.

Infrastructure
Washington State Route 505 begins in Winlock and runs east to Interstate 5 and beyond to the town of Toledo. Highway 603, a former state route, continues north from Winlock to intersect with State Route 6 about 4 miles West of Chehalis.

The Burlington Northern railroad double track line runs through the middle of the town. Union Pacific and Amtrak trains also use these tracks. This line is the only rail connection between Seattle/Tacoma and Portland and supports heavy traffic. Freight service is available here but Amtrak does not stop, with the nearest station being in Centralia.

Winlock began constructing a fiber optic expansion of a regional broadband project in 2023. The initiative is led by a grant of $23.5 million from the Washington State Broadband Office with an additional $2.3 million from a regional communications company. Once completed, the broadband system will be owned by Lewis County. The venture was originally planned to be completed in 2024, but forecasted out to late 2026.