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Steilacoom the first

Small town: Big history

Wagon wheels outside of the Orr Wagon Shop speak to Steilacoom’s historical past. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

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As I stood inside the Orr Wagon Shop in downtown Steilacoom, I could hear the rain drumming on the roof.

Through a westward facing window framed by Nathaniel Orr in 1870, I could see Puget Sound and another gray wall of rain headed my way.

Across from me, about a half dozen fourth graders from Salter's Point Elementary School looked at, picked up, and asked questions about the hand tools and carriages - the reminders of history - used by the initial settlers of Steilacoom in the 19th century.

It felt good to be in the past.

"The weight of the world sort of drops off your shoulders, doesn't it?" commented Bill Peterson, one of the shop's curators.

"It's really peaceful here in Steilacoom."

Yes it is, and it is worth the time and energy to visit the small town and enjoy its numerous historic sites.

The history of Steilacoom began in 1851 when Maine sea captain Lafayette Balch decided to create the town.

The mariner created a bustling little hub comprised of a port, wharf and store for settlers following their dreams and arriving over the Oregon and Naches trails.

In short time, transplanted Indiana lawyer John Chapman founded a competing town site adjoining Balch's new settlement.  

In 1854, however, the Washington Territorial Legislature merged the two settlements to form the Town of Steilacoom, becoming the first incorporated community in the territory.

Today, the 2.1-square-mile town is home to approximately 6,000 individuals.

Stepping back into history, however, Steilacoom was one of only a few waterfront settlements on Puget Sound (Tacoma was tiny; Seattle was nonexistent) and boosters hoped their town would become the next San Francisco.

But history - driven by the forces of the end of the Civil War, the placing of the railroads, the locations of where gold was discovered and geography - changed those dreams and the town began to take on its small and quiet but vibrant place in state and local history.

I was surprised to learn there is no other municipality in Washington state that has so many "firsts" in state history.

For instance, Steilacoom boasts the first port and territorial court (1851), the first post office (1852), the first Protestant church north of the Columbia River (1853), the first incorporated town (1854), the first school (1855), the first Pierce County newspaper (1855), the first public library (1858), the first territorial jail (1858), the first brewery (1858) and the first gas station and garage (1925).

That's a lot of "firsts" that to the inquiring mind results in an interesting town to visit.

Combined with a number of first class eating establishments - Topside Bar and Grill, Steilacoom Pub and Grill, the Bair Bistro, De La Terre and Espresso by the Bay - I could walk all day.  Even two days.

"It is peaceful here; the people are friendly and helpful," commented Sarah Cannon, the owner of Bair Drug and Hardware Store.

The store is an enchanting step back into time as the floorboards creaked with every step I took while admiring the antique artifacts, old-fashioned wood counter and working soda fountain.

I sat down and had a soda.

As I did, I read a handy little brochure that presented a historic walking tour of the sites and monuments speaking to Steilacoom's history.

The weight of the present lifted.

"There's a small town vibe here; the town is small and there's a feel here that no one wants to lose."

For more information about the Town of Steilacoom and what it offers visitors, visit www.TownofSteilacoom.com or www.SteilacoomHistorical.org.

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