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Old newspapers, pinned to the places they wrote about — the streets you can still walk today.
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A poor itinerant tinker was jailed for a Tacoma murder until residents of a small Thurston County hotel town swore he was miles away. The state Supreme Court ordered a new trial.
“If he stayed all night at Tice's hotel in Tumwater on the 5th of October, he could not have committed this murder in Tacoma.”
A missing approach leaves a new Black River bridge unusable, diverting trade to Centralia—but John L. Sullivan thinks the town could host his next fight.
“Passengers manage to reach the bridge by means of a step-ladder. Nobody can travel over it, but there is one thing, it won’t wear out.”
A prospector narrowly survives a harrowing encounter with an armed man while traveling through the rugged wilderness near Tumwater.
“The man drew his knife, and in the struggle, kicked the attacker so severely that he caused the assailant to release his hold.”
A corps of engineers has been quietly pacing the unfinished Tumwater tunnel, refusing to say who sent them or what they want — while heavy rain eats away at the abandoned work.
“The headquarters of the party cannot be found, neither will they state their business nor their intentions.”
O. C. Hewitt, Lincoln’s chief justice of Washington Territory and the father of Odd Fellowship in the state, died at 82 in East Tumwater after a frontier life that included burying massacre victims, winning a Supreme Court case, and saving Olympia’s capital status.
“The supreme court decided the act to be invalid, and Olympia remained the capital.”
A remarkable 1888 address recalls the precarious early years of Washington Territory, from the first colonial settlements to the grit required to build a government in the wilderness.
“George Bush, a colored man, who settled there, earned the gratitude and respect of all people, inducing Congress to donate the 640 acres of land which he had settled, which under existing laws discriminating against colored people, he could not otherwise acquire.”
Forest fires burn through Tumwater timber, impeding travel and damaging infrastructure.
“The damage the fire is doing to timber can hardly be estimated.”
Local committee reaches agreement with railroad company for depot, water rights, and machine shops.
“A great deal of feeling prevailed, and with the representatives of the company, our committee were enabled to arrive at an understanding.”
A 79-year-old man surprises the community by wedding a young female physician after a brief courtship by mail.
“It is stated that he received a letter a few months ago from the lady he has married, stating her desire to make his acquaintance, with matrimonial intent.”
Meeting at Col. M. T. Simmons's house, October 18, 1858, adopts resolutions for an overland route from St. Paul to Puget Sound, land grants for the Northern Pacific, and military posts to protect the gold rush—and to put down the territory's Indian war.
“The recent discoveries of rich deposits of gold within the limits of Washington Territory and the British possessions north present extraordinary inducements for the prompt action of the Federal Government in opening and protecting the overland routes to these mines and Puget Sound.”
New lights on Reserve Street only made the missing crossings more obvious when two women tried to walk from the wagon bridge to the post office and sank to a standstill.
“Stuck in the mud. Let 'em stay there; they're only new comers, and nobody cares.”
Clark Biles — pioneer tanner, founder of a public life in Tumwater, and its mayor four years running — succumbs to typhoid at 43, and the town suspends all business for his funeral.
“During the hours of service, all business will be suspended.”
Tumwater landowners and boosters want a new beach road to Olympia, promising easier travel, new homes, and higher property values.
““The road is bound to be built sooner or later,” he said, “and property owners will be fully compensated in the enhancement of values.””
A local nominating meeting for council seats turned harmonious—and hilarious—when the ballots outnumbered the attendees.
“There were only about 50 voters present and 65 votes cast.”
Thomas Endicott of Tumwater died leaving a wife and daughter's family in poverty. The old soldiers of the local G.A.R. post, who had quietly helped the family for months, paid for the funeral and turned out in force at Bush Prairie.
“They lived with his aged wife and a married daughter with several children, all of whom were said to be in destitute circumstances. The G. A. R. post of this city have relieved the family from time to time and bore all the expenses of the funeral.”
James Camby, a pioneer who arrived in Thurston County in 1853 after a failed stint in the California gold fields, has died at 87.
“He was little given to talking of his exploits in pioneer days, and even his children have heard him tell but little of Indian war times.”
While the rest of the country sweats through a historic heatwave, Tumwater’s industrial engine roars night and day to keep the city supplied.
Eastern capitalists promised a massive factory in Tumwater, but the deal collapsed before it broke ground—leaving the town with nothing but hope and a Supreme Court case.
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