It was the largest town in the area in the 1860s and was named for numerous but scattered oak trees in the vicinity by William T. Morrow. William and Elizabeth Morrow were the first settlers and had a Donation Land Claim of nearly three hundred twenty-two acres on which they filed February 8, 1855. A post office was established April 24, 1858 and operated until January 15, 1889. A plat for the town of Oakland was filed March 17, 1890 following a period of time when the place was called Mount Olive.

Morrow’s direct influence on the county organizing process is shown in that he was the Minister, County Clerk, County Auditor, and the first Post Master. His home served as the first County Courthouse. In 1854, Sawamish County was formed out of the northwest portion of Thurston County. The County Commissioners made a donation of 160 acres on Big Skookum Bay for the establishment of public buildings for a County Seat to be known as Mount Olive, the name was changed to Oakland in 1855. Oakland’s principal contribution to the pioneering development of Mason County lies in its worth as the community from which the development of Mason County was directed.