Looking Back’s theme for 2027 was Downtown by the Decades. Each week featured a view of downtown Olympia over the years. James Madison Alden was an artist, topographer and junior officer aboard the U.S.S. Active for the U.S. Coast Survey. This watercolor is the earliest known image of Olympia, painted in 1857, looking north down what is now Capitol Way. The large building at left may represent the recently-completed Territorial Capitol.
James M. Alden watercolor, 1857, Courtesy Washington State Historical Society, catalog 1932.93.17
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2026