After a shaky start in the late 1840s and 1850s, by the early 1880s Olympia was the most important community in Washington Territory, assisted by its status as territorial capital. Although the center of the city originally was north of Third (State) Avenue, it soon moved south to the intersection of Fourth and Main (now Capitol Way). Downtown was originally a mix of homes, stores, churches, and public buildings. Only a small part of Olympia was covered by this first Sanborn map.
To view the map in full screen, link here (external link to ArcGIS Online)