Olympia

Originally published Saturday, January 12, 2002

Olympia gained its name in 1850 when Edmund Sylvester platted the town. He followed the suggestion of Col. I.N. Ebey, who had the snowcapped Olympic Mountains in mind at the time.

Sylvester Park, in the heart of Olympia, was named for Edmund Sylvester, who donated the land as a town center for the original plat of Olympia.

Olympia's place names are rich with history.

Swantown was a settlement directly east of the original Olympia settlement. It was named for James M. Swan, who homesteaded 317 acres there in 1850. He was born in Scotland.

Arnold Lake, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 101 and Evergreen Parkway Northwest, was named for Charles and Anna Arnold, who settled on the property in the 1890s.

Bigelow Lake, northeast of Olympia, is named for Daniel and Ann Elizabeth Bigelow, who arrived in Washington Territory in 1851. The historic Bigelow House, a neighborhood and a street also bear the Bigelow name. Bigelow was an attorney who was noted for his support of the local education system.

Lemon Road is named for another Olympia landowner, Millard Lemon, who granted the right-of-way for the road, which parallels Libby Road between 36th and 66th avenues.

On the east side of Olympia, Ayers Hill stands sentinel to another early settler, William N. Ayers, who had a donation land claim of 160 acres, filed on Oct. 24, 1854.

Budd Inlet was named by Lt. Cmdr. Charles Wilkes for Thomas A. Budd, acting master of a ship called the Peacock and a member of an expedition into the southern sound. Cooper Point gained its name from the expedition as well, as did Eld Inlet. John Cooper was an armorer in one of the crews. Henry Eld was a midshipman. Henderson Inlet was named for James Henderson, a quartermaster on the expedition, while Totten Inlet bears midshipman George M. Totten's name.

Ellis Cove also bears a family name. The cove on the east side of Budd Inlet was named for Isaac "Ike" Ellis. He logged timber near the cove. Ellis Creek also bears his name.

French Road, on the west shore of Budd Inlet, is named for George W. and Charlotte Emily Olney French. They settled in the area in 1852, and claimed 320 acres in 1866.

Priest Point gained its name from a different source: It commemorates the site of an early Catholic mission. Missionaries from the Roman Catholic Order of Obates of Mary Immaculate built it in 1848. Father Pascal Richard directed the effort. They remained at the mission until 1860.

Hewitt Lake, just south of Olympia, is named after Judge C.C. Hewitt, who purchased a donation land claim from John N. Low. The lake formerly was known as Lowe Lake.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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