A short history of McCleary
Henry McCleary came to the land in 1897, building two sawmills and a door manufacturing company. He sold the land and the companies to Simpson Logging Company, December 31, 1941. On January 9, 1943 the land became an incorporated city named after its founder. The Henry McCleary House, designed by Joseph Wohleb, still stands in Olympia, Washington and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Since 1959, McCleary has held the annual Bear Festival with live performances and a parade. It originally began as a celebration of the spring bear hunt to control the local population, which endangered timber harvests, and included a serving of bear stew to the community.
Adapted (trimmed) from the Wikipedia article McCleary, Washington, revision 1379975189 by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.