“Committee Room X” at Legislature in 1964
”Committee Room X”, a/k/a Storeroom 405 at the Legislative Building, was a long-standing unofficial – and controversial – hangout for legislators seeking a break from the bustle of Legislative Session…
William Owen Bush about 1890
Isabella Bush and her husband, mixed-race George Bush, arrived in Thurston County in 1844, settling in what is now Tumwater. Their oldest son, William Owen Bush, pictured here in middle…
Finding Home in Olympia: Southeast Asian Communities 1975 to the Present
Book talk and community conversation about the immigration of Southeast Asian refugees to Olympia after the end of the Vietnam War in 1974. The event will be Sunday, October 11…
Catherine Redpath in 1920s
A young Catherine Redpath gazes out the window of her home, located across from Sylvester Park. She was the daughter of Dr. Nathaniel Redpath and Lucy Maynard Redpath, prominent Olympia…
Native American children protest at Legislative Building in 1963
A group of Native American children and their parents bear picket signs at the Rotunda of the Legislative Building to protest a Washington State Supreme Court decision that limited Indian…
Sam Williams home in about 1870
A photograph from around 1870 captures the snow-clad home and store of Sam Williams at the northwest corner of Fourth and Main Street (now Capitol Way). Sam and his brother…
Olympic Women’s Marathon Time Trials in 1984
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. In May 1984, the City of Olympia was honored to host the time trials for the first Women’s Olympic Marathon.…