on the long bridge, too, we can gaze upon the distant Olympian Range—the most aerial mountain view in America.
The following is the history of Olympia in brief, as furnished by one of its citizens: "The land claim on which is situated the town of Olympia was settled on by Mr. Edward Sylvester, in the year 1845. At that time the whole Puget Sound country was a perfect wilderness, excepting the settlements of the Hudson's Bay Company at Nisqually, then in charge of Dr. W. F. Tolmie, and a few pioneer settlers at Tumwater and the prairies south of Olympia, who came in the year before. Mr. Sylvester resided here three years alone, and in 1849 went to the gold-mines in California. Returning early in 1850, he found several new-comers, among whom were three or four families, and shortly after his return he had the town surveyed and laid out. One or two stores were soon started, which supplied several lumbering camps, and the brig G. W. Kendall, Captain A. B. Gove, was placed on the route between Olympia and San Francisco, and a profitable business started in furnishing the California market with spars and piles. A large village of Indians was situated along the bank of the bay, on the west side of the town. The road to Tumwater was not open until 1852, and the first bridge was finished the succeeding winter. All the other roads and bridges were later undertakings. The Custom-house District was organized at Olympia November 10, 1851—S. P. Moses, Collector. A weekly mail (horseback and canoe) service from the Columbia River, was first established in 1852—Messrs. Yantis and Rabbeson, contractors. The Down-Sound mails were first carried in 1854 by the steamer Major Tompkins, Captain J. S. Hunt; the same steamer was
