Throughout 2023 we’ll be exploring the origins of area place names. Old Oregon Trail Road descends from near the south end of Water Street to the waterfront below I-5. Before I-5 was built, this road was called View Place. The name was changed in 1983 to recognize that this road was part of the northern segment of the Oregon Trail in Washington Territory. Shown here is the dedication of the End of the Oregon Trail marker in Sylvester Park in 1913. Photograph selected and captioned by Deborah Ross, Olympia Historical Society.
Courtesy State Capital Museum collection, Washington State Historical Society