Rathbun, "History of Thurston County, Washington from 1845 to 1895"

[Dave Robertson]

History of Thurston County, Washington from 1845 to 1895

by J. C. Rathbun
Editor of The Paladium


Published at Olympia, Washington, 1895



Electronically Transcribed June, 2000
by Edward Echtle: ThurstonHistory at earthlink.net


Transcribed verbatim, including errors.
Unclear passages should be checked against an original copy.
Text in [brackets] inserted to aid searching

http://www.geocities.com/elechtle/texts/rathbun.txt

"Trade was mostly with the Indians, 
several hundred of them living on the eastern shore of the west arm of the
bay.  
Their section was called Chinook street, and their central wigwam was near the 
present site of the Carlton House."

"In December the road was cut through from Olympia to the falls, the 
present Tumwater.  It is not quite clear when the name of the settlement at the 
falls was changed from New Market to Tumwater.  The name Tumwater is probably 
one of growth, being a modification or anglicizing of the Indian name Tum
Chuck.  
"Chuck" in the Jargon signifies water and "Tum" with the peculiar Chinook
accent 
is intended to represent the sound of falling water.  Hence in the Indian 
vocabulary any waterfall is called "tum chuck."  As the settlers gradually 
learned the Chinook they substituted the English "water" for the Indian "chuck" 
and coined the word "Tumwater," which has since remained the name of the 
picturesque little city at the falls."

"In 1872 
the Northern Pacific railway laid its Portland and Tacoma line across this 
portion of the county and located a station near their farms and named it 
Tenino.  "Tenino" is an Indian word signifying "Junction"  The junction
referred 
to was that of the old military roads.  During the Indian War a military road 
was laid from Fort Vancouver up the Cowlitz valley and then over to Fort 
Steilacoom.  Near the farms of Hodgson and Davenport it forked and a branch
came 
in to Olympia and in Chinook jargon this fork was called a "Tenino."  "

"The town was -named "Seatco" by Oliver Shead who bought the Webster claim 
in 185-.  "Seatco" is a Chinook word meaning "ghost" or "devil." 
 About 1873 Samuel Coulter, J. B. David, an Oregon capitalist, who had 
become associated with Mr. Coulter in the coal lands, and Wm. Buckley, a 
Northern Pacific man, met and determined to name the railroad station.  Shead's 
name of Seatco was not satisfactory and they coined a new word by taking the 
first two letters of each of their own names: Bu-Co-Da.  in 1887 the town was 
platted by Shead and given the name Seatco.  This name it retained until 1890 
when by act of the legislature it was changed to Bucoda 
 In 1874 Seatco became a town of state importance.  Prior to that time 
there had been no territorial penitentiary and but few counties had jails: 
Clark, Jefferson, Pierce, Thurston and Walla Walla.  When a party was convicted 
of a felony the judge directed in what jail he should be incarcerated.  In 1874 
Wm. Billings, sheriff of Thurston county, and Jerry Smith, sheriff of Pierce 
county, each had a


p123 c2

proposition before the legislature to take the prisoners and use their labor.  
To avoid a contest Mr. Smith withdrew his proposition and took a half interest 
with Mr. Billings and Billings was awarded the contract.  A capitalist was then 
needed to put up the building.  The party was found in Oliver Shead who 
furnished the money for a one-third interest in the enterprise.  A mill was 
built on the Skookumchuck, near the old mill built by Webster, and lumber sawed 
for a penitentiary."

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