Olympia, Washington

History

The site of Olympia was home to Lushootseed-speaking peoples for thousands of years, including Squaxin, Nisqually, Puyallup, Chehalis, Suquamish, and Duwamish.

The first recorded visit by Europeans was in 1792 when Peter Puget and a crew from the British Vancouver Expedition charted the site. In the 1840s, Edmund Sylvester and Levi Smith jointly claimed the land that now comprises downtown Olympia.

In 1853 the town settled on the name Olympia due to its view of the Olympic Mountains to the northwest. It is also claimed to be the farthest point on The Oregon Trail.

In 1851, the U.S. Congress established the Customs District of Puget Sound for Washington Territory and Olympia became the home of the customs house. Olympia is often associated with the Olympia Brewing Company, which from 1896-2003 brewed Olympia Beer.

Olympia was once served by a small fleet of steamboats known as the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet.
A 1949 earthquake damaged many historic buildings beyond repair and they were demolished. Parts of the city also suffered damage from earthquake tremors in 1965 and the 2001 Nisqually earthquake.

In 1967, the state legislature approved the creation of The Evergreen State College near Olympia. Because of the college's presence, Olympia has become a hub for artists and musicians, and was recently named one of the best college towns in the nation for its vibrant downtown and access to outdoor activities

Lacey, Washington

Lacey is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. Established as a suburb of Olympia, Lacey's estimated population as of 2008 was 38,040, as compared to 44,514 for Olympia. Thurston County, which includes the cities of Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater, has a population of 229,355 as of the 2008 census.

History
Lacey was originally called Woodland after settlers Isaac and Catherine Wood, who claimed land there in 1853.[4] The small settlements of Woodland and Chambers Creek consolidated into Lacey in the 1950s. Renamed for attorney and developer O.C. Lacey, the city of Lacey was officially incorporated on December 5, 1966. At the time, the main industries were cattle, milk, forest products, and retail. Lacey became a commuter town for Olympia and to some extent, Tacoma; in recent years, however, business developments, community groups, and population growth have led Lacey to develop into a city in its own right.

Shelton, Washington

Simpson lumber mill in Shelton, on the Oakland Bay, viewed from the south-east.

David Shelton, 1812-1897

Shelton was officially incorporated in 1890. Formerly called Sheltonville, the city was named after David Shelton, a delegate to the territorial legislature.

Shelton was once served by a small fleet of steamboats which was part of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet. These boats included the Old Settler, Irene, Willie, City of Shelton, Marian, Clara Brown, and S.G. Simpson. The economy was built around logging, farming, dairying and ranching as well as oyster cultivation. The Simpson Timber Company mill on Puget Sound's Oakland Bay continues to dominate the landscape of the downtown area. Shelton also identifies itself as the "Christmas Tree Capital".

Yelm, Washington

Yelm is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. The population was 3,289 at the 2000 census. The current mayor is Ron Harding. His daughter, Janet Harding, is the current Miss Washington for 2008 after winning the title of Miss Tahoma.Yelm ranked 10th of 279 eligible incorporated communities in population growth between 2000 and 2005.

History

The word "Yelm" comes from the Coast Salish word "shelm" which means "land of the dancing spirits" their interpretation of the moir effect of heat rising off the prairie.

The Yelm Prairie was originally inhabited by members of the Nisqually Indian Tribe and provided good pasture for their horses. The first permanent European-American settlers came in 1853 to join the Hudson's Bay Company sheep farmers who were already conducting business in the area.

With the coming of the Northern Pacific Railway in 1873, Yelm began to prosper, having found an outlet for its agricultural and forestry products. Its economic base was further enhanced in the early 1900s when an irrigation company was formed in 1916, making Yelm a center for commercial production of beans, cucumbers, and berries.

Present day Yelm is a bedroom community for residents working in the surrounding cities of Tacoma, Olympia and Centralia. Yelm also hosts a large number of military families who are currently or were formerly stationed at nearby Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base. Yelm is also the home of Ramtha's School of Enlightenment.

Tenino, Washington

History

The name Tenino came into use in the 1870s. It is reputedly a Chinook Indian word, which means "fork in the trail." It refers to the site where the Cowlitz Trail between The Columbia River and Puget Sound split, branching to Budd Inlet at Olympia, Washington and Commencement Bay respectively.

In the late 1800s a number of sandstone quarrying companies began shipping building stone, used in many regional buildings including the old Capitol building in Olympia, as well as the old Thurston County Courthouse, Denny Hall at the University of Washington, Seattle, and several post office buildings, including at The Dalles, Oregon. The US Government also used stone from these quarries to construct coastal jetties at Westport, WA and elsewhere. The quarries declined in the early 1900s when many builders switched to concrete.

Logging, sawmilling, and coal mining were also well established industries in the area. However, as the timber played out and railroads switched to diesel in the mid 1900s, these industries declined. While Tenino retains its historic business core, the town now serves largely as a "bedroom community," many of its citizens commuting by car to larger cities such as Olympia and Tacoma for work.

Rainier, Washington

Rainier is a town in Thurston County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,492 at the 2000 census.

Named for its view of Mt. Rainier, Rainier is situated amidst the ‘ten al quelth’ prairies which is the Indian word meaning “the best yet.” The area was first settled by Albert and Maria Gehrke who homesteaded there in 1890. Six years later, Albert and his two brothers, Theodore and Paul, built the community’s first school and church, which today is a state historic landmark. A post office followed in 1890 when residents grew tired of mail being delivered by “toss off and catch” since the trains did not stop in Rainier.

Lumbering brought prosperity to the town and its first lumber company, the Bob White Lumber Company, opened in 1906. Other lumber companies followed, including companies such as Deschutes, Gruber and Docherty, and Fir Tree. A series of fires in the Rainier area in the late 1920s and early 1930s destroyed several of these mill operations (in addition to many of its town buildings), and town residents sought work at Weyerhaeuser Lumber at Vail.

Rochester, Washington
Rochester is a census-designated place (CDP) in Thurston County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,829 at the 2000 census.

Key Residents in Rochester History
Rochester was founded in 1852 by Samuel James.

Robert Paton who opened the first market in 1889, which is still in operation today across from the Rochester Community Center on Highway 12, opened the first lumber mill in the early 1880's, which continued to operate for over 50 years.

Robert Hunt also helped promote Rochester's growth with the addition of the Northern Pacific Railroad, which connected the community with Grays Harbor. Hunt's Grade, a road built to pay tribute to Robert Hunt, can be seen from the railway today.

Jordan Cole, a film-maker from Kelso Washington, moved to Rochester in late 2006. His observational humor, internet variety show ("The Mike and Joey Jesus Show"), and brimming town pride has helped put Rochester on the map within the independent film world. He currently resides near Scatter Creek Nursery.

Rochester Today

After the timber industry died down, Rochester became a large producer of strawberries. Rochester today is a small bedroom community, with many residents commuting to work in surrounding communities including Olympia, Washington and Chehalis, Washington.

Tumwater, Washington

History

Tumwater was founded next to the falls of the Deschutes River at the south end of Puget Sound as New Market in 1846 by a group of pioneers led by Michael Simmons and George Bush. It was the first American settlement on Puget Sound. These early settlers were attracted by the water-power potential from the falls, the easy access to Budd Inlet for shipping, and the open prairie land in the area for cattle grazing.

A major factor driving the Simmons-Bush Party to locate north of the Columbia River beyond Oregon Territory is that the American settlers in Oregon prohibited settlement by non-whites to avoid the contentious slavery issue. Bush, a mulatto, was not allowed to own land under Oregon law. Later, when the area north of the Columbia became part of US Territory, white settlers petitioned Congress to grant Bush title to his land, which was approved.

The name was changed to Tumwater borrowing from a Chinook Jargon phrase tumtum chuck meaning "waterfall" or "rapids" (literally "heartbeat water"). Despite its early settlement date, Tumwater wasn't officially incorporated until November 12, 1875.

From 1896-2003, Tumwater was well known regionally as the home of the Olympia Brewing Company. The Olympia Brewing Company began producing beer in 1896 at a site along the Deschutes River and continued until Prohibition. After Prohibition ended, a new brewery was erected just upstream from the original site. This brewery was eventually purchased by SABMiller and closed on July 1, 2003.