Postcard - Packwood, Washington

"Packwood, Washington. Nestled high in the Cascades, on White Pass, is this unique community offering the tourists and visitors every service. Eternally snow-capped Mt. Rainier stands guardian over all."

Although the card is postmarked 1979, every vehicle in the photo is from the 1950s-1960s.

Postcard - Olympia, Washington

"Olympia and Mt. Rainier, Washington. With Capitol Lake in the right foreground and majestic Mt. Rainier in the background Washington's State Capitol Buildings could not have a more beautiful setting, a short distance from Interstate 5 no visitor should miss these magnificently landscaped buildings."

I'm guessing 1978-1980. The card has written date of 12-29-80.

Postcard - Olympia, Washington

"Olympia, Washington. The State Capitol buildings may be seen at right center. Mt. Rainier stands as a sentinel in the distance."

1969? The present day WSDOT building looks like it is still being put together. Plus the Capitol Park Apts. have not been torn down yet.

On the left, Budd Inlet ends at the "Isthmus," while the northern portion of the Fetid Lake of Doom takes center stage. The steam plant, otherwise known as the caiman wintering area, can be seen on the shore at the right, conveniently next to the railroad tracks for regional distribution.

Postcard - Olympia, Washington

"Olympia and Mt. Rainier, Washington. Capitol Lake and Olympia Municipal Park close to metropolitan shopping center -- complete swimming and playground facilities for all to enjoy. Mt. Rainier, eternal guardian, sixty miles in the background."

The Capitol Center Building can be seen on the left edge, but the old Hotel Governor is gone and the Fetid Lake of Doom still has quite a bit of industry around it. I'll take a guess this photo was taken 1966-1968.

Postcard - Olympia, Washington

"Washington State Capitol, Olympia, Washington. Aerial view of State Buildings showing Mount Rainier in the background."

The old Oly High School is gone, but Capitol Park Apartments remain. Meanwhile two big state buildings, the Dept. of Highways and the Employment Security Dept., have jumped across Capitol Way. Blocks and blocks of fine old homes have yet to be demolished as the Cap Campus expands. I place this around 1966-1969. The Fetid Lake of Doom, as usual, provides a hint of menace in the corner.

Postcard - Olympia, Washington

Olympia and Rainier [click on image to enlarge]

The reverse side of this postcard is blank. I date this in the late Ike era or in JFK period. The Pritchard Building is visible near the right corner making this no earlier than 1959. The residential area across Capitol Way is bereft of any State buildings. I'll guess this is in the timeframe of 1959-1961.

The old Olympia High School and Capitol Park Apartments can be seen. Also those grand original maples on Maple Park, which were ripped out about ten years later.

For us local boomers, if you said "Olympia and Rainier" when we were young we would assume you meant the two regional beers.

Postcard - Olympia, Washington

"Olympia, Washington. The State Capitol buildings may be seen at right center. Mt. Rainier stands as sentinal [i.e. sentinel] in the distance."

I figure this postcard photo was taken between 1959 and 1965. In the far right of the photo the Washington State Library (opened 1959) is visible. The Capitol Center Building, also known locally as "The Mistake by the Lake" is not visible. It was built in 1965.

The Fetid Lake of Doom had yet to be the home of caimans.

Postcard - Mount Rainier, Washington

"Mount Rainier as viewed from Sunrise Park on the northeast side of Rainier National Park."

ca. 1980. I always enjoyed the fact that somewhere on this side of The Mountain there is an especially dangerous area to climb called Willis Wall. No relation.

Postcard - Mount Rainier, Washington

"Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington State, Tipsoo Lake. A distant view of Mt. Rainier from Tipsoo Lake, one of many small mountain lakes high in the Cascade Mountain Range."

Probably from the 1970s.

Postcard - Mercer Island, Washington

"Mercer Island, convenient to both downtown Seattle and Bellevue is the largest island situated in a lake on the west coast. It is connected to Seattle by the Mercer Island Floating Bridge and to Bellevue by the east Channel Bridge. It is five miles long and from one to three miles wide."

1970s or early 1980s. Also includes Mount Rainier and Lake Washington.

Postcard - McChord Air Force Base, Washington

"McChord Air Force Base, Washington. Located between Tacoma and Olympia, adjacent to Interstate 5, this premier defense facility serves the entire Pacific Northwest and Alaska. The strategic location provides excellent facilities for communication with all Pacific Rim Countries as well as Western U.S. and Hawaii."

From the late 1970s probably. Mt. Rainier is in the background. This base was merged with neighboring U.S. Army Fort Lewis in 2010 to form Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM).

My Dad was in the Air Force. He served in Europe during the Truman era.

Postcard - Longbranch, Washington

"Picturesque Puget Sound. While this view shows Longbranch, it is typical of the entire Puget Sound area. Hundreds of protected coves and bays provide haven for the thousands of boaters who navigate these waters every year. This view shows a few of the lucky skippers enjoying their favorite pastime. Mount Rainier stands guardian over all."

From the 1980s. You have to click on and enlarge the image to see Rainier. McNeil, Eagle, and Anderson islands are in the background. McNeil (on the left) is the home of a state prison. Anderson (on the right) was the epicenter point for our delightful 2001 earthquake.

Postcard - Centralia Steam Plant

"Centralia Steam Electric Plant. The largest steam electric plant in the Pacific Northwest, this facility incorporates the most modern equipment available, gulping 800 tons of coal per hour, in producing electricity for the area."

The postcard is from 1976.

The Plant came under environmental fire in Century 21 and must undergo drastic changes in the next decade.

Postcard - Centralia, Washington

"Centralia, Washington, and Mt. Rainier. Centralia, founded in 1852 by a freed Negro slave by the name of George Washington, is in the middle of Lewis County, serving as the hub of the Evergreen Country."

Looks like this dates back to the 1960s. On my Mom's side of the family I have ancestors who were living here dating back to the territorial era. In fact, the house where they lived, and where my Mom was born, is visible in the lower center portion of the card. Today the building is the local headquarters for Windermere Real Estate.

Postcard - Bellevue, Washington

"Bellevue, Washington. Located on the east side of Lake Washington, the state's fourth largest city. This photo shows a portion of the main business district with Mt. Rainier in the background."

This card is dated 1976. Known as "Blah-vue" by my Seattle friends, Bellevue is no longer the 4th largest city in Washington. It got bumped to number five when Vancouver annexed huge chunks of land several years ago.

If you can make out Mt. Rainier through the smog horizon, it looks really weird, more like a rounded dome than it does in real life.

Postcard - American Lake, Washington

"Veteran's Administration Hospital, American Lake, Washington. Located a few miles from Fort Lewis, McChord Field and Interstate Hiway 5 in a serene setting is this hospital. Majestic Mt. Rainier, 60 miles to the east stands guardian over all."

I'm guessing ca. 1970.

Phone photo 847

Sunrise with Mt. Rainier

South Sound Places

South Sound Places : a Guide to Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater & Thurston County / by Nancy Patterson. 1st ed. Olympia, Wash. : Four Seasons Pub., 1993.

Nancy asked me to illustrate the chapter headings, which were then compiled into a grid for the cover.

Some of the subjects on the cover include:

Samuel Thurston. I agree with the notion Thurston County should be renamed McLoughlin County after Dr. John McLoughlin.

The Legislative Building on the Capitol Campus.

The Old Capitol Building.

The Evergreen State College.

Mount Rainier, which I can see from my office window on clear days.

Tumwater Falls. Most famously known as being on the label of Olympia Beer. A fellow high school classmate of mine once swam behind the falls and grooved out in a cave behind the water. He was back there long enough for rescue teams to start forming, wondering what happened to him. I attended Olympia High School, just a few blocks away from the brewery. The Oly Brew work whistle and the smell of hops on hot days was part of our high school experience.