2008 will mark the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Tumwater Olympia Freeway. It opened in 1958 to relieve the bottleneck in downtown Olympia where the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Capitol Way was also the junction of Pacific Highway 99 and SR 410 (now redesignated I-5 and US-101).

The main casualty in construction was the oldest part of Tumwater where a number of territorial era structures remained, although in somewhat deteriorated condition. The State condemned the land and forced residents to relocate. Some took their houses with them, but the old business/residential core of the first American settlement on Puget Sound became the present Interstate 5 freeway right-of-way.

Ironically, freeway construction across America led to increased awareness of historic sites and spawned legislation to help protect them including the National Register of Historic Places. New laws required documentation and protection of historic sites threatened by freeway construction. By the 1970s, the Olympia Tumwater Freeway needed widening. These laws created fundng to do the first survey of surviving historic properties in Tumwater and led to the creation of Tumwater Historic District in 1978.

To commemorate the event we are gathering information and first-hand recollections of that time for a planned exhibit. If you or someone you know has photos, documents, or memories of the Tumwater Olympia Freeway construction era, we want to hear from you!

Please contact us at OlympiaHistory@yahoo.com or at 360-485-2396.

At the State Capital Museum, Wednesday, November 15, 2006 at NOON

Join historian Drew Crooks as he presents a slide-illustrated lecture featuring Chief Quiemuth, half-brother of Leschi and a strong Native American leader, who lived from 1800 to 1856. Quiemuth was appointed chief of the Nisqually Tribe by Governor Isaac Stevens, played an important role at the Medicine Creek Council and in the Puget Sound Indian War, and was later killed in the Olympia office of Governor Stevens. No one was ever brought to justice for the crime.

FREE with paid admission to the museum.

Olympia's historic Bigelow House Museum is looking for volunteers to help with a number of projects.  Currently there is a need for gardeners and tour guides for the 2006 season.If you're interested, contact the director:

Edward Echtle
360-753-1215
www.BigelowHouse.org
Open Sat-Sun 12-4pm