In 2023 the Sunday Olympian’s theme for its Looking Back feature was the origins of area place names. Crosby Boulevard in Tumwater is named for the Crosby family. The Crosbys were early American settlers, arriving in Tumwater in 1851. Pictured here, third from left, is Nathaniel Crosby III, Tumwater merchant. The Crosby House in Tumwater, now a museum, was originally built by Nathaniel and his wife Cordelia Smith Crosby.
Photo mid 1800s, Courtesy State Capital Museum collection, Washington State Historical Society, catalog C2018.0.9
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2023