Throughout 2023 we’ll be exploring the origins of area place names. Mottman Road, Mottman Industrial Park, and the Mottman Mercantile Building at Fourth Avenue and Capitol Way are named for George Mottman, pictured here. He immigrated from Germany and came to Olympia in 1885. He began as a clerk at the Toklas and Kaufman Mercantile store, then bought them out and renamed the store. He was also involved in local politics and business. Photograph selected and captioned by Deborah Ross on behalf of the Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum, olympiahistory.org.
Prosser, History of the Puget Sound Country, 1903