History of Olympia, Washington

The history of Olympia, Washington includes long-term habitation by Native Americans, chartering by a famous English explorer, settlement of the town in the 1740s, the controversial siting of a state college in the 1960s and the ongoing development of arts and culture from a variety of influences.

Pre-European history

Olympia is situated at the extreme southern tip of Puget Sound on Budd Inlet. The site of Olympia was home to Lushootseed-speaking peoples for thousands of years. The abundant shellfish in the tideflats and the many salmon-spawning streams entering Puget Sound at this point made it a productive food-gathering area. Many tribes shared access to these resources, including Squaxin, Nisqually, Puyallup, Chehalis, Suquamish, and Duwamish. According to early settlers' accounts, natives called the present site of Olympia "Cheet Woot", meaning "place of the bear."

European contact

The first recorded visit by Europeans was in 1792 when Peter Puget and a crew from the British Vancouver Expedition charted the site. In 1833, the Hudson's Bay Company subsidiary called Pugets Sound Agricultural Company established Fort Nisqually, a trading post at nearby Sequalitchew Creek in what is now Dupont. The U.S. Exploring Expedition under Lt. Charles Wilkes came to the future site of Olympia in 1841 and named the bay Budd Inlet after expedition member Thomas A. Budd.

European settlement

At the request of the Hudson's Bay Company, French Catholic missionaries established Mission St. Joseph of Newmarket and school in the 1840s at Priest Point near the future townsite for the conversion of natives to Catholicism.

American settlement

American settlers also came to the area in the 1840s, drawn by the water-power potential of Tumwater Falls and established nearby "New Market," now known as Tumwater, the first American settlement on Puget Sound. The site was the northern end of the "Cowlitz Portage," the overland trail between the Cowlitz River and Puget Sound. In a time when water travel was the easiest form of transportation, Olympia's location on the main north-south route through the region made it a crossroads for regional trade.

Edmund Sylvester and Levi Smith jointly claimed the land that now comprises downtown Olympia. Smith's untimely death in 1848 left Sylvester the sole owner of the land on which he platted the future townsite. Early names for the settlement included "Smithfield" and "Smithter" in honor of Levi Smith. In 1853 the town settled on the name Olympia, at the suggestion of local resident Isaac N. Ebey, due to its view of the Olympic Mountains to the northwest.

1850-1890

In 1851, the U.S. Congress established the Customs District of Puget Sound and Olympia became the home of the customs house. In 1854, the customs house moved to Port Townsend at the entrance to Puget Sound to better monitor shipping activity. In 1852, Olympia became the county seat of the newly organized Thurston County.

By the early 1850s American settlers began agitating to separate the area north of the Columbia River from Oregon Territory. The agitation resulted in Congress creating Washington Territory. Isaac I. Stevens served as its first governor. Upon his arrival in 1853, Stevens declared Olympia capital of the territory.

The city grew steadily until 1873, when the Northern Pacific Railroad bypassed Olympia, choosing Tacoma as its west coast terminus. Alarmed by the lack of a railroad, Olympia residents set to work building their own spur connector to the main line at Tenino. Citizens formed a private corporation and used both volunteer labor and contract Chinese laborers to complete a narrow gauge line in 1878. The little railroad served as Olympia's only rail connection until the Northern Pacific built a spur to Olympia in 1891.

After Washington achieved statehood in 1889, Olympia continued as the state's capital city. Construction of the current Washington State Capitol began in 1912, with the prominent Legislative Building, one of the largest in the nation, completed in 1928. The building's dome is the fourth largest free-standing masonry dome in the world.

Aside from its role as the seat of state government, Olympia was a fairly typical Pacific Northwest town. Early on, extraction industries such as logging and oystering were the basis of much of the economy. By the twentieth century, sawmilling, fruit canning, and other industrial concerns comprised its economic base. Olympia also served as a shipping center for materials produced from the surrounding countryside, including sandstone, coal, and agricultural products.

1890-1950

Olympia is often associated with the Olympia Brewing Company, which from 1896-2003 brewed Olympia Beer, even though the brewery was actually located in Tumwater. 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.

Scandinavian immigrants founded two cooperative plywood mills after World War I. During World War I and World War II, there were also increased influxes of labor attracted by wartime industries including shipbuilding.

Periodic earthquakes rock the Olympia area. The 1949 earthquake damaged many historic buildings beyond repair, and they were demolished. Others were retrofit with new facades to replace the damaged Nineteenth Century wood and glass storefronts. Subsequently, much of Olympia's downtown reflects mid-twentieth century architectural trends. In 1965 and 2001, Olympia suffered damage from significant tremblors. It was the closest major city to the epicenter of the 2001 Nisqually earthquake.

1950-present

In 1967, the state legislature approved the creation of The Evergreen State College near Olympia, mostly due to the efforts of progressive Republican Governor Daniel J. Evans. Evans later served as president of the college, leaving Evergreen in 1983 when he was appointed to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by Senator Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson's death.

Because of the college's presence, Olympia has become a hub for artists and musicians (many of whom have been influential in punk, post-punk, anti-folk, lo-fi and other music trends (see Olympia music scene). Olympia was recently named one of the best college towns in the nation for its vibrant downtown and access to outdoor activities. [ [http://www.evergreen.edu/aboutevergreen/praise.htm Outside Magazine, September 2003] ]

Olympia is a regional center for social justice and environmental activism. Olympia was the hometown of human rights activist Rachel Corrie. Olympia's residents are also notable for their opposition to the Iraq War. [(2006) [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/272223_protest31.html 22 arrested at protest over Iraq shipments] "Seattle P-I." Retrieved 5/3/07.]

Olympia hosts the state's largest annual Earth Day celebration, Procession of the Species, a community arts-based festival and parade. Also popular is the Olympia farmer's market [ [http://www.olympiafarmersmarket.com/index.html Farmer's Market] ] , the second largest in Washington State, as well as the locally based Olympia Food Co-op [ [http://www.olympiafood.coop/ Coop website.] ] .

Olympia based independent media outlets, such as: KAOS FM 89.3, Free Radio Olympia 98.5 FM [ [http://www.frolympia.org/website/ FRO website] ] , and Olyblog [ [http://olyblog.net/ OlyBlog] ] , as well as independent publications, such as Works in Progress [ [http://www.olywip.org/wip/ Works In Progress] website.] and the Sitting Duck, keep local residents informed.

Further reading

*cite book|author=Billings, William|title=Document of deputization to swear in citizens to quell an anti-Chinese riot in Olympia, Washington Territory|year=1886|url=http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/publications_detail.aspx?p=88

ee also

* History of Washington

References