LB 1920s

Legion Way Trees in the 1920s

January 15, 2023

In 2023 the Sunday Olympian’s theme for its Looking Back feature was the origins of area place names. The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization, in support of World War I veterans. In honor of Olympia veterans’ service, Sixth Avenue was renamed Legion Way in 1927, and the Legion Way trees were planted in honor of veterans’ service in these and all wars. Pictured here are two Legion Way saplings, photographed around the time the trees were planted.

Merle Junk photo, Washington State Archives, Susan Parish collection

Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2023

Oyster Harvesting in 1920s

July 31, 2022

Oysters have been an important food source for our area’s residents since well before the arrival of non-Indigenous Americans. In this photograph from the early 20^th century, harvesters are working at low tide to shovel oysters into a nearby scow. At the time this photograph was taken, harvesting was done nearly exclusively by Japanese immigrants. This process would later be replaced by less back-breaking methods.

Undated photo, around 1924, courtesy State Capital Museum collection, Washington State Historical Society, catalog C1950.8.6

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