Throughout 2023 the Sunday Olympian’s Looking Back theme was origins of area place names. Sapp Road in Tumwater was named for the Sapp family, who settled in Thurston County in the late 1800s. Looking Back recently ran a photograph of Bernice Sapp, a prominent suffragist. Shown here is her brother, Colonel Speed Sapp, when he was serving in the Spanish American War. Confusingly, Colonel was his first name: he held the rank of major in the Spanish-American War and captain in World War I.
Courtesy State Capital Museum collection, Washington State Historical Society, catalog C1948.64.128
Tex © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2023