Thurston County Historical Journal

Welcome to the online publication of the Thurston County Historical Journal. Here you can enjoy past issues of the Journal four months after print publication. Hard copies, including the most recent issue of the Journal, can be obtained from Thurston County heritage organizations, including the Lacey Museum.

Not sure which issue you need? Check out the index for people and subjects.

Index

Past Issues

2024

Number 23
April 2024
  • Black Civilian Conservation Corps
  • The Countess Was an Olympia Girl
  • The Baldwin Connection
Read Now
Number 24
August 2024
  • First Comes Love
  • The Crowell Lumber Company
  • Washington State Seal of 1893
Read Now
Number 25
December 2024
  • Celebrating 25 Issues
  • U.S. Army Amphibious Training Camp
  • A Whale of a Story
Read Now

2023

Number 20
April 2023
  • Cain Road’s Rich History
  • The Raspberry Farm
  • Fabricating Shingles
Read Now
Number 21
August 2023
  • Geraldine de Courcy
  • Bolton Waller de Courcy
  • A Spy Story
  • The Washington State Capital Museum
Read Now
Number 22
December 2023
  • Chambers Prairie and the Chambers Family
  • Bridges and Trestles of Deschutes River Basin
Read Now

2022

A small waterfall flows through a natural rock arch surrounded by dense green and yellow foliage, with water cascading into a pool below.
Number 17
April 2022
  • Tumwater Falls and the Yellowstone Hotspot
Read Now
cover photo
Number 18
August 2022
  • Margaret Whyte
  • Luther J. Wyckoff
  • Moss Surgical Dressings
  • A Song for Washington
Read Now
Number 19
December 2022
  • Hudson’s Bay Company
  • Bordeaux, Washington
Read Now

2021

Clusters of blooming lavender flowers with tall green stems, surrounded by other pink and green plants in a garden setting.
Number 14
April 2021
  • Growing Lavender on Chambers Prairie
  • Artist Edward Lange
  • Heroes Among Us
Read Now
A collage of four vintage photos: two group portraits, one of musicians, one of workers with a large rock, and one of people in a boat on a crowded river.
Number 15
August 2021
  • In Her Own Words: The Life of Elizabeth McElroy Allison
Read Now
A team of horses pulls a large log on a wooden track through a forested area; a person stands on the log, guiding the team.
Number 16
December 2021
  • The Big Four of Thurston County
  • Threads of Truth: The Henry Colter Affair
Read Now

2020

Three people, one man in a suit and two women in matching light dresses, pose together in front of a background with sheet music and musical notes.
Number 11
April 2020
  • Remember the Fleetwoods?
  • World War II Homefront
  • Stormy Behavior Costs Jobs
  • A Windstorm for the Ages
Read Now
Vintage illustration of a cranberry bog with workers in the field, surrounded by a border of fresh cranberries and a train passing in the foreground.
Number 12
August 2020
  • The Lansdale Cranberry Marsh: An Agricultural Experiment in Thurston County
  • Scoundrels: The Life of Susie Lewis
Read Now
Collage of five birds: a seagull on water, a hummingbird on a branch, a bald eagle, and two ducks swimming together.
Number 13
December 2020
  • An Olympia Urban Legend
  • Changes in Thurston County’s Bird Populations
  • The Chambers Black Heart Cherry Tree
Read Now

2019

A soldier with a bandaged arm is supported by a medic near an American ambulance; two men move a stretcher in the background on a coast with smoke rising in the distance.
Number 8
April 2019
  • Olympia Boys: Heroes of Audenarde Battle
  • Tumwater Vigilantes
  • Through the Lens at Michigan Hill
Read Now
A group of people stand behind a long display table labeled "Thurston County" with canned goods, inside a wooden building decorated with American flags.
Number 9
August 2019
  • Thurston County Homefront During World War I
  • Lingo from a Tin Pants Show
Read Now
A sepia photo of an older woman with glasses, a painting of an orange cat sleeping, and a pair of round eyeglasses on a black background.
Number 10
December 2019
  • The Old Settler
  • Tragedy on Independence Creek
  • The Spirit of Margaret McKenny
Read Now

2018

A wooden carved statue with painted facial features, including large eyes with blue and yellow paint, open mouth, and a crown-like detail on its head, set against a wooden wall.
Number 5
April 2018
  • The Story of a Native American House Post
  • The Life of Ada Sprague Mowell
  • The Port Townsend Southern Railroad
Read Now
Black and white portrait of a woman wearing a dark hat with a small feather and a fur-collared coat, looking slightly to the side.
Number 6
August 2018
  • Helen Shank, Children’s Advocate
  • Live Through This: From Priory to Punk Rock
Read Now
A hand-drawn architectural illustration of a modern, two-story house with a sloped roof, chimney, and landscaping, bordered by green stripes.
Number 7
December 2018
  • The Trueman and Virginia Schmidt House
  • A Story of Unsuspected Success
  • Centennial Rose Garden
  • Military Road in Thurston County
Read Now

2017

A man and a woman in 19th-century clothing stand side by side outdoors near a riverbank, with a boat and trees in the background.
Number 2
March 2017
  • Pioneers of the Nisqually Valley
  • Metamorphosis: The Transformation of Olympia from Frontier Village to Modern Town, 1889—1912
Read Now
Black and white illustration of a small town with clustered buildings, roads, and rail tracks, surrounded by forested hills and tall trees in the foreground.
Number 3
August 2017
  • Olympia: In the Eye of the European Beholder
  • Maritime History of South Puget Sound
  • Mining Coal: An Important Thurston County Industry 100 Years Ago
Read Now
Vintage newspaper ad titled "Buster Cuts the Cake!" promotes Xmas cake sale at Reder & Phillips and encourages joining the Red Cross, with contact numbers and product list included.
Number 4
December 2017
  • Olympia Brewing’s Wartime Tin Campaign
  • Thurston County Blueberry Industry
  • Hydroelectric Power on the Deschutes River
  • Holiday Newspaper Advertisements
Read Now

2016

Black and white photo of a crowd gathered outside a domed government building, with an airplane flying overhead and text reading, "Welcome to our first issue!" in the corner.
Number 1
December 2016
  • Northern Pacific Railroad
  • Nancy Jim Parsons: A Cowlitz-Nisqually Basket Weaver
  • Charles Lindbergh Soars Over Thurston County
  • Happy 50th Birthday, Lacey!
Read Now

About the Journal

The idea for a historical publication dedicated to recording and celebrating the history of Thurston County was first conceived by Charlie Roe of the Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum. A consortium of heritage groups in the county came together to discuss the publication. Eventually, the Olympia Tumwater Foundation volunteered to act as publisher, and various heritage groups and county/city government entities donated money to fund the publication.

The first issue was published in November 2016. Subsequent issues have been, and will continue to be, published about three times a year (depending on funding and availability of articles).

Get a Copy

Paper copies of the Journal are available to members of participating heritage organizations, and are also offered at the Bigelow House Museum, the Crosby House Museum, and the Lacey Museum.

Submissions

The Journal welcomes factual articles dealing with any aspect of Thurston County history. Please contact the editor, Karen Johnson, at 360-890-2299 or karen@olytumfoundation.org before submitting an article to determine its suitability for publication. Articles on previously unexplored topics, new interpretations of well-known topics, and personal recollections are preferred. Articles may range in length from 100 words to 10,000 words, and should include source notes and suggested illustrations.