The Sunday Olympian’s Looking Back theme for 2024 was Many Voices, celebrating our diverse and rich history. Looking Back’s theme for 2024 is Many Voices, celebrating our rich and diverse history. Gustav Rosenthal was a very early Olympia merchant, arriving with his wife Katti here in 1863. The Rosenthals were among the Jewish families who settled here in early Territorial days. His store at the core of downtown Olympia at Fourth and Main (now Capitol) was described as “one of the best known in Southwest Washington.”
1891 photo, Olympia Tribune Souvenir Issue
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2024