Near a very busy intersection in the Olympia-Tumwater area sits the base of what was once an oft-photographed icon of a bygone era in local history. Located at the site of the old Olympia Brewing Company headquarters is the base of a fountain that once greeted not only visitors coming in from Interstate 5 and Highway 101, but employees of the massive brewery complex who would pass the fountain on
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In 1854, the Medicine Creek Treaty between regional Native American tribes and Washington’s territorial government kicked off a years-long conflict that forever changed the story of the Pacific Northwest. Sixty-eight years later, in 1922, the Sacajawea Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution placed a bronze plaque commemorating the momentous treaty, upon the single remaining Douglas Fir that remained at the place where the treaty was signed. It became
Liberty – the tiny central Washington town that is slowly becoming one of my favorite places in our great state – has more to offer than just fascinating history and exceptional outdoor recreation opportunities. In fact, “Washington’s only living ghost town” (as it’s known) is home to one of the most interesting “ghosts” I’ve ever met. This one’s name is Wes Engstrrom.
Being cooped up in the house for days on end is enough to drive anyone mad, and throwing a four-year-old in the cage can sometimes seem just plain cruel. So needless to say, I had to get my poor wife and son out of the house before we all ended up in the newspaper the next day. Despite the intermittent weather on Saturday, we decided to visit Tumwater Historical Park
Last week, I began planning the first full episode of the Washington, Our Home, video series and I decided the creation and exploration of the Willamette Meridian would be a good first start. To begin with, as I asked in a previous blog post, I had to learn why in the world someone in the mid-1800’s would decide that a straight line north and south from Portland, Oregon, was even necessary.
Boy, do a little research and it’s amazing what you might learn. Nearly every day, I drive past the Odd Fellows Memorial Park at the corner of Custer, North and Cleveland (Yelm Highway) in Tumwater. Most people know it as “The Pellegrino’s intersection” or the “Artistry in Flowers” corner, or “the one right by Baskin-Robbins, Safeway or Domino’s Pizza,” or – more appropriately for this blog post – “the one