Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. In 1902 Asahel Curtis and William Romans photographed several important buildings and locations in downtown Olympia. Pictured here is the Carlton Hotel on Columbia Street, a popular lodging place for politicians, lobbyists, and other travelers, as it was located near the waterfront a scant block from Percival Landing.
Curtis/Romans photo, 1902, courtesy State Capital Museum collection, Washington State Historical Society, catalog 1943.42.1391
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2026