1945, C.R. Jenson Photograph, Susan Parish Collection, Southwest Regional Archives
William Owen Bush was the eldest of six sons of the pioneer George and Isabella Bush family. Carrying on his parents’ remarkable legacy of careful land stewardship and public service, he was one of the most successful farmers in the northwest. He brought his products, along with other Washington produce, to the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. He also served in the first Washington State Legislature, and authored an important civil rights act, the first to be passed in the West. His home in Tumwater is pictured here in 1945, after his death. It was demolished in 1970, but the land on which it stood is now aptly the home of a farm supporting Community Supported Agriculture. Photographs selected and captioned by Deborah Ross on behalf of the Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum. For more information, visit us at olympiahistory.org.