Looking Back’s theme for 2025 featured Thurston County area photographers, artists, and their subjects. John Boyd Ellis was brought up in Olympia but moved to Arlington after graduating from Western Washington University. He and his son Clifford operated a successful photography and postcard business featuring scenes of Washington State. Many of them were of J. Boyd’s hometown, pictured here in a photo from around the 1930s. The location is Capitol Way looking north.
Ellis Postcard, around 1930s, courtesy Dwight Moody collection, Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2025