Launched at the yard of Hans Ditlev Bendixsen at Fairhaven, CA, in 1897, the sailing schooner Wawona was one of the largest three-masted schooners built in North America. Her timbers were cut from virgin forests. Today she is one of two survivors of the once immense commercial sailing fleet in the Pacific Northwest.

   Carrying lumber between West Coast ports for Dolbeer & Carson Lumber Company, the Wawona, like other coastal schooners, had a reputation for speedy runs down the coast with cargo and a quick return, sailing without ballast due to her heavy, double-hulled construction. Entire logs could be loaded into her hold through doors in her stern. John Dolbeer, her co-owner, had invented the steam donkey engine, which revolutionized the logging industry.