January 6, 2016

Deschutes Estuary in 1949

In this image from early 1949, the Deschutes Estuary is at high tide and calm on an overcast day. The photo was taken looking north from Tumwater towards Olympia. Construction of the Fifth Avenue dam and Capitol Lake had not yet begun. Photograph selected and captioned by Deborah Ross on behalf of the Olympia Historical…

Robert Wadlow at GallenKamp’s

GallenKamp’s was a shoe store chain with a location in downtown Olympia. In 1938, as a publicity stunt, the chain retained Robert Wadlow, the World’s Tallest Man, to undertake a nationwide tour of the stores. In this photograph, Wadlow is towering over a vehicle advertising the event. Due to a rare disorder of the pituitary…