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…
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…
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 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.…
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 is 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 is 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
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
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 – 8/30/26
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is 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 Mrcantile closing – 8/23/26
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is 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 – 8/16/26
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is 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 – 8/9/26
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. Shown here in a photo from 1962 is a new Mercury Comet station wagon at Kearns Motor, located on Cherry…
IBM with THINK desktop – 8/2/26
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. In the early 1960s, IBM was primarily associated with typewriters and adding machines (computers would not be widely available for…
Olympia Centennial Parade – 7/27/26
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. In May 1950, Olympia celebrated the centennial of its founding with a parade and other events. This image shows the…
5th Avenue Dam Construction – 7/19/26
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. Between 1950 and 1951, Capitol Lake was created by damming the Deschutes River estuary at Fifth Avenue. This image from…
5th Avenue in the 1940s
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. In this photograph from 1942, we are looking west down 5th Avenue near the Franklin Street intersection. Several buildings in…
Little Hollywood – 7/12/26
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. For decades, the Little Hollywood community, consisting of “float houses,” businesses, and makeshift residences, existed along the Deschutes River Estuary.…
USO – 6/28/26
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. The USO Club in Olympia opened in early 1942, during World War II. It had a lounge, library, showers, and…
1949 Earthquake – 6/21/2026
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. On April 13, 1949, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake inflicted widespread damage in Olympia and beyond. Pictured here is the corner…
Olympia in 1873 by Emily O. Kimball – 1/25/26
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. College-educated Emily Olivia Richardson married Unitarian pastor John Calvin Kimball in 1860 and accompanied him to Olympia, Washington Territory in…
Odd Fellows Fire – 6/7/26
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. On a frigid day in January 1937, the imposing Odd Fellows Hall, at the southwest corner of Capitol Way and…
