Other parts of the county

Originally published Saturday, January 12, 2002

Some of the area's early settlers, such as J.R. Chaplin, thought Thurston County was a utopia. Athens Beach, at the north end of Cooper Point, bears his influence. Athens was the name he gave the utopian community he envisioned in 1900 when he platted a site for a college that operated from 1902-04 called People's University.

Others were perhaps more practical. A pioneer, Mr. Shumach, named Littlerock, a town 19 miles southwest of Olympia. He called it Little Rock for a stone that he felt was shaped as a perfect mounting stone.

Tolmie State Park is named not after a homesteader, but a Hudson's Bay Company official. Dr. William F. Tolmie was in charge of the company's Fort Nisqually from 1854 to 1859. He was known for his knowledge and association with Indians.

Baird Cove, southeast of Johnson Point, bears the name of another man who came to the area in the early 1900s. Edmund Baird purchased the land there in 1905, and the cove was a site for a ferry landing for the Taylor Bay ferry, which ran from Longbranch to Johnson Point.

Not all names lasted.

Tempo Lake originally was called Bushman Lake after Evelyn and Harry Bushman. They owned a farm, which included the lake, and introduced Louisiana frogs, frequently referred to as "Bushman frogs," into the area.

Two county rivers bear Indian names. Chehalis means "sand." The river remains an important fishing site for the Chehalis Tribe.

The Skookumchuck River also takes an Indian name. It means "swift water," and also is Chinook jargon for "strong" or "violent."

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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