Meet a Family: Charles and Zoe Chaenn
by Richard Edwards Charles Chaenn was born in France in January 1839 to John Chaenn and Madelina Juliet. According to local oral tradition, he served in the French military before…
Zindt: Memories of Olympia in the 1920s and 1930s
by Mary Zindt My brothers and I spent the summers doing farm chores. A hike to McAllister Springs was always included during summer vacation. It was about two miles from…
Miller and O’Connell: Revisiting Capitol Lake
The previous two newsletters contained articles on the history of Capitol Lake, whose authors maintain divergent conclusions. As our newsletter policies maintain, the Olympia Historical Society welcomes submissions on any…
Derricott: Judge Lee Creighton
Mark Derricott, Editor Introduction Does Aristotle’s theory of the whole can become greater than the sum of its parts hold true if we apply it to our community? Can something…
Derricott, Applied Historiography: Olympia’s Capital Lake
Mark Derricott* The excellent recent piece about Capitol Lake by Mr. Allen Miller and a formidable rejoinder in this quarter’s newsletter by Mr. Emmett O’Connell reveals a rich dialogue about…
O’Connell: The Myth of Connection Between Wilder and White and Capitol Lake
This article originally appeared on the Squaxin Island Tribe’s Natural Resource Department Weblog and was reprinted here as another view of the history of the development of Capitol Lake. The…
Blankenship: Meet the Yantises and Blankenships
Ralph Blankenship In October of 1852 Sarah Y Yantis rode into Olympia with her father B.F. Yantis and 7 brothers and sisters in their covered wagon. They left from Saline…