By Lynn West
If you need a fresh adventure during the last hot days of summer, consider a little time travel through Tumwater Falls Park.
The Riverwalk Tour hosted by the Olympia Tumwater Foundation and the City of Tumwater provides that opportunity free of charge.
Don Trosper, a descendent of early Tumwater pioneers, is the perfect Public History Manager for the Olympia Tumwater Foundation. His folksy approach sets an enjoyable historical perspective on the park and its history. If his name sounds familiar, picture our crowded Trosper Road in 1845 when his relatives first homesteaded the area with the Simmons Bush Party. They created the first permanent American settlement north of the Columbia River. “About three years ago, the Foundation began a focus on sharing the history of the area with the public,” Don told me.
As the tour begins at the office of the Olympia Tumwater Foundation in the center of the park, your eye immediately catches the empty brewery building, and early in the tour, you are informed that had it not been for the brewery, there might not be a park. In the mid 1890s Leopold Schmidt, a German immigrant from Montana, came to Olympia on a fact-finding mission about state capitols. While getting his hair cut, a barber described the artesian wells in the area, and the idea for the Olympia Brewery was born. First named Capitol Beer in 1896, it became Olympia Beer in 1902, and “It’s the water” became the slogan. Sadly, as we know, the brewery closed in 2003.
Throughout the tour “the water” cascades down three waterfalls and meanders through the streams to the Deschutes River that will soon have returning Chinook salmon on the fish ladders. Skip Schmidt, who was mayor of Tumwater in the 1960s, was instrumental in developing the park. His father, Peter G. Schmidt had formed the Olympia Tumwater Foundation a decade earlier to provide funding for natural and historical preservation.
Even though our feet are firmly on the paths and bridges during the Riverwalk Tour, our minds are constantly travelling back to the early twentieth century. To assist in this adventure, our tour guide, Tera Hegy, a retired fish and wildlife biologist, has a series of large laminated photos from various time periods she shares.
As we wandered over to view a site where early native tribes camped at the lower falls, I chatted with a few of the twenty or so folks on our tour. Kaye Appleman, who is housesitting for her deployed daughter and son-in-law, explained, “I am a member of the Historical Society in Morgan County, Ohio, and I took the tour once with my daughter, but thought I could still learn more about the area’s fascinating past.” Other folks were from Texas, Arizona, and Oregon, as well as many interested locals. In addition to Hegy and Trosper, Dave Shipley and Shanna Stevenson also guide tours. Each provides a slightly different perspective.
As we moved down the first part of the trail, Tera pointed out where the first 16×16 log cabin was constructed. When she added, “And 33 settlers lived in that cabin,” audible sighs of disbelief echoed from the group. The first brick brewery building was a tannery, and on the site of the current Tumwater Falls Restaurant, a blacksmith had his shop.
Gradually over the years, as bridges were built, rails laid and a streetcar came out to the area, Gelbach Mill was built and other mills followed. The historic town of Tumwater developed around this site. Tera read from a newspaper clipping from around 1878, “The falls were a favorite Sunday afternoon picnic spot for lovers.” Perhaps not everything has changed!
After we climbed down the steps to the third waterfall, I asked seven-year-old Alyssa Norman about her favorite part of the tour. She quickly responded, “Getting wet by that waterfall!” Joshua, her eleven-year-old brother, also enjoyed the spraying water. He added, “I liked hearing about the olden days too.” The whole group, young and old, enjoyed this cool oasis.
Winding back to the Olympia Tumwater Foundation office where we started, we learned that the tours have been offered for the last two years, but the demand for more flexible times has expanded the offerings this year. If this tour whets your appetite for learning more local history, you might also enjoy Monthly Free History Talks at the Historic Schmidt House, Thursdays at noon beginning October 15.
Remember time travel works for the whole family at the Riverwalk History tour.
The free Riverwalk Tour is limited to the first 25 people that show up. Tours for the rest of the summer are: Thursdays, August 6, 13, 20 and 27 and September 3 at 10:30 a.m.
You are also in luck if your schedule works better on evenings and weekends. Join a tour at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday evenings August 18, 25 or September 1 or on Sunday afternoon, August 9 or September 6 at 3:00 p.m.
Thrifty Thurston highlights inexpensive family fun in Thurston County. The weekly series focuses on family-friendly activities throughout our community. If you have a suggestion for a post, send us a note at submit@thurstontalk.com. For more events and to learn what’s happening in Olympia and the surrounding area, visit our complete event calendar.
