SHMA Documents and Original Art
"Bringing the past to life in Washington State's oldest town."
Documents You can magnify this map slightly by clicking on the map once
you open it. To magnify it even more, you will have to save it asphoto and magnify it with your photo software. If you do so,you see some of our present familiar landmarks had different names in 1855. For example...Present NameName on MapChambers Creek Steilacoom RiverFort Steilacoom Steilacoom Barracks*Steilacoom Lake Wyate (sp?) View LakeAmerican LakeSpootszith (sp?) LakeKetron Island Kittson’s IslandFlett CreekSalatale RiverNisqually River Squally RiverIt is interesting to note that Steilacoom, which was incorporated by the Washington Territorial government in 1854, isn't even mentioned on the map. This is probably because the Puget Sound Agriculture Company, a British company, didn't recognizethe town's status as a United States entity.*The Army post has always been known to Americans as "FortSteilacoom" and never as "Steilacoom Barracks", the latter implyingit had a lesser status that a "Fort". The "Barracks" name on the map may be a misunderstanding on the part of the map maker, or it might have been intentional as a slap in the face by the Puget Sound Agriculture Company as if to say, "Hey...Great Britain has the only "Fort" in this area", that being Fort Nisqually.For example, the current Nathaniel Orr property shows up on the plat as
four subdivisions, all of which were owned by Orr.
Letter home from David Orr during Alaska Gold rush 1903
1903in Steilacoom for many years. The paper was written by one of Miss
Tait's students, Steilacoom resident, Margaret Humm Wilkinson. The
The link above takes you to a Washington State Historical Society
web page. To get to the paper on Miss Tait, click on "Access this item"
centered near the top of the WSHS page.
Henry. The Old Settler is followed by an un-titled poem he wrote
in 1904 wherein he contrasts the 1904 world to that which he had
enjoyed in 1874.
You can magnify this map slightly by clicking on the map once you
open it. To magnify it even more, you will have to save it as photo
and magnify it with your photo software.
Federal Censuses for Steilacoom
These census are transcriptions of the handwritten censuses. Not
all enumerators had good handwriting and many errors have been
made in the transcriptions. For example, Nathaniel Orr is listed in the
1860 transcription as "W. H. Orr" where the transcriber mistook the
enumerator's "N" for a "W".
Not all enumerators had good handwriting and errors have been made
in the transcriptions. For example, Nathaniel Orr is listed in the
1860 transcription as "W. H. Orr" where the transcriber mistook the
enumerator's "N" for a "W".860
Steilacoom 1890 Federal Census There was no 1890 census, per se,
but rather censuses in 1885, 1887, and 1892. And rather than being
broken down by precinct (e.g., Steilacoom), the smallest "block" of
of inhabitants is for is for counties (e.g.,of Pierce County. Those
censuses are recorded on more than 500 pages each which precludes
saving each page as a photo, combining them, and coverting the result
to an Adobe PDF document which is what was done for other censuses
on this web page. Subscribing to a genealogy software site (such as
Ancestry.com) would allow the subscriber to access the files and search
for individuals/families.
Steilacoom 1920 Federal Census 1920
1920The last Federal Census for Steilacoom available on the internet at this time (Jan 2012) is 1930. That census (link below) is written in very legible handwriting unlike some of the others which are hard to read for some entries.Led to Founding of Steilacoom", Lucile McDonald, Seattle Times,
June 25, 1950.
copyrighted by the Town of Steilacoom. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
wagon train over Naches Pass. Includes photo of 5 still living in 1913,
Laura Belle Downing Bartlett among them.
of Steilacoom and surrounding areas). Used with permission from
Google, Inc.
subsidiary Puget Sound Agriculture Company, to retain ownership of what is now
Pierce County and surrounding areas. The writing is a chapter from Volume 31,
History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana, 1845 - 1889, Herbert H. Bancroft,
1890. Much of the writing involves Steilacoom residents of the time (e.g., Chambers,
Balch, Chapman, and others). The link takes you to a web page sponsored by
Ancestry.com.
minister in the 1860s. The article is taken from the History of the Pacific Northwest,
Oregon and Washington, 1889. The link takes you to a web page sponsored by
Ancestry.com.
Downey Bartlett (see Laura Belle's collection of photos including a photo of her
parents here). The article is taken from the History of the Pacific Northwest,
Oregon and Washington, 1889. The link takes you to a web page sponsored by
Ancestry.com.
in the 1850s. The article is taken from the History of the Pacific Northwest,
Oregon and Washington, 1889. The link takes you to a web page sponsored by
Ancestry.com.
Article about E. R. Rogers, prominent merchant in early Steilacoom. The article 1889
The article is taken from the History of the Pacific Northwest, Oregon, and
Washington, 1889. The link takes you to a web page sponsored by Ancestry.com.
in the mid- to late-1800s. The article The article is taken from the History of the
Pacific Northwest, Oregon, and Washington, 1889. The link takes you to a web
page sponsored by Ancestry.com.
Treaty with the Nisqualli, Puyallup, Etc., December 26, 1854. The article is 1854
extracted from the History of the Indian Treaties, Acts and Agreements. The link
takes you to a web page sponsored by Ancestry.com. Note that the treaty includes
the signature of Chief Leschi (spelled "Lesh-high" on the document) although he said,
and others confirmed, that he did not sign the document.
Article on the initiation of Indian warfare in Washington, 1855 - 1856. This article is 1890
extracted from The Bancroft Works, Volume 31, History Of Washington, Idaho, and
Montana, 1845-1889, Hubert H. Bancroft. Most of this article is about warfare in
eastern Washington and the Seattle area, but Fort Steilacoom was deeply involved
in the conflict by providing soldiers, equipment, and supplies. The link takes you to
a page sponsored by Ancestry.com.
extracted from The Bancroft Works, Volume 31, History Of Washington, Idaho, and
Montana, 1845-1889, Hubert H. Bancroft. A major portion of the article is about the
involvement of Fort Steilacoom in the conflict. The link takes you to a web page
sponsored by Ancestry.com.
Lafayette Balch of Steilacoom was one of nine councilmen composing the first
legislative assembly, he representing Pierce County. John Chapman of Steilacoom
was one of three men representing Pierce County in the House of Representatives,
the others being H. Mosely and L. Thompson. This article is extracted from The
Bancroft Works, Volume 31, History Of Washington, Idaho, and Montana, 1845-1889,
Hubert H. Bancroft. The link above takes you to a web page sponsored by
Ancestry.com.
Origin of Steilacoom Street Names. An interesting article published by the Washington 2013
List identifying people for whom Steilacoom streets were named, or in some cases, how
some streets (e.g., Union) got their name. Before reading the document, you might guess
which two streets are named for the same person (a clue is in the photo on the first page
of the article).
An archeological survey of the northern shore of Chamber's Bay just inside the mouth 1996
of Chamber's Creek.
Letter pertaining to incorporation of Steilacoom
1890 Map of Tacoma and surrounding region including Steilacoom. Long lost place names such as Higgins Beach, Lemon's Beach, and Menlo Park stops on the Tacoma - Steilacoom "Electric Street Railway" are shown. Also shown is the trace of the Tacoma Lace City steam railroad terminating at Americal Lake, and the Northern Pacific Railroad line.
Date Published
This page was last updated: February 24, 2024
Steilacoom Historical Museum Association
