2001 Nisqually Earthquake
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. On February 28, 2001, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the Puget Sound region, creating massive infrastructure damage in Olympia and…
Olympia Pride at the Governor Hotel
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. In 1991, Olympia become the first small town outside of Seattle to host a Pride event. The organizers’ efforts produced…
Gallewski Kaufman
The Sunday Olympian’s Looking Back theme for 2024 was Many Voices, celebrating our diverse and rich history. Gallewski Kaufman was a German Jewish immigrant, arriving in Olympia in the mid-1880s.…
Ron Allen
Looking Back’s theme for 2025 featured Thurston County area photographers, artists, and their subjects. Ron Allen’s photographic career began with State Patrol, then led to his…
Harriet Speckart
The Sunday Olympian’s Looking Back theme for 2024 was Many Voices, celebrating our diverse and rich history. Harriet Speckart, shown here, was a niece of Olympia Brewing Company founder Leopold…
Gustav Rosenthal
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…
James Mars
The Sunday Olympian’s Looking Back theme for 2024 was Many Voices, celebrating our rich and diverse history. Pictured here is James Mars, African-American proprietor of the Our House restaurant on…
Yo Yo a Go Go in 1997
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was Downtown by the Decades. Olympia was the hub of the music and performance art scene of the 1990s with several famed musicians, film-makers, and…
Olympia’s First Airstrip in 1911
The Carlyon Fill in 1910-1911 added 29 blocks to the central peninsula of Olympia, adding most of what we now know as the port area. Just after the fill was…
Heritage Fountain in 1997
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. In 1996, the City of Olympia acquired a parcel of property between Fourth and Fifth Avenue as part of the…
Black Panthers at Legislative Building in 1969
In early 1969, a group of Seattle Black Panthers gathered on the Legislative Building steps in Olympia to protest a law that made it a crime to exhibit firearms “in…
Burmeister Saloon in 1860s
In 1853, Charles Burmeister established one of the earliest saloons in Olympia. It was located on Fourth Avenue and Washington Street, where the State Theater is now. This photograph from…
Cherry Tree planting along Capitol Lake
In early 1965, 112 ornamental cherry trees were planted along the Deschutes Parkway, adjacent to Capitol Lake. The Olympia Chamber of Commerce funded the project. Pictured here are Don Trafford,…
“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…
The Bean family
Looking Back’s theme for 2024 was Many Streams, celebrating our rich and diverse history. Jacob Bean immigrated to Olympia from Russia in 1902, bringing with him his family’s Torah (first…
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…
Ed McClarty in Spanish-American War 1899
In an 1899 photo, Edgar McClarty stands outside his tent at Camp Albert G. Forse in Huntsville, Alabama. McClarty was one of many young men from Olympia who volunteered to…
Olympic Women’s Marathon Time Trials in 1984
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was 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.…
Reserve Fleet practice firefighting skills in 1964
The Olympia Reserve Fleet (also known as the Mothball Fleet) was stationed in Budd Inlet from the 1940s to the 1970s. In a 1964 exercise that would doubtless horrify today’s…
5th Avenue “Demo” project ribbon cutting in 1981
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was Downtown by the Decades. In 1979, civic organizations and the City retained a national organization known as R/UDAT to come up with a vision…
Washington Center under construction in 1983
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was Downtown by the Decades. In 1979, civic organizations and the City retained a national organization known as R/UDAT to come up with a vision…
Oil Tanks at Port of Olympia around 1979
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. From the 1930s to late 1970s, the Port of Olympia hosted an array of large tanks to store oil offloaded…
Olympic Theater around 1978
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. In the 1970s, downtown Olympia had three second-run movie theaters, the Capitol, the State, and the Olympic. First-run movie showings…
Evergreen Plaza in 1972
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was Downtown by the Decades. The 1950s, 60s and 70s produced several important structures in downtown Olympia. The Evergreen Plaza building, erected in 1972, was…
Mottman Mercantile closing in 1967
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was Downtown by the Decades. On September 15, 1967, an era came to an end with the closing of the iconic Mottman’s Mercantile department store,…
CY Wong and the China Clipper in 1963
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was Downtown by the Decades. The China Clipper, now the Clipper Cafe, is an iconic establishment in downtown Olympia. In this photograph from 1963, owner…
Mercury Comet at Kearns Motor in 1962
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was Downtown by the Decades. Shown here in a photo from 1962 is a new Mercury Comet station wagon at Kearns Motor, located on Cherry…
