Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1889-09-20
Social Features.
Olympia SACtesy SCI and RcscgO.
lent Associations, Etc.

4 capital should be social as well as
Il political center. 1t should he a city of
homes, OF hospitabe citizens, and should
possess all those thousand and one iea
lures which make Il place attractive to
visitors and transient guest. Sir. l.. +.
Quinn, the brilliant correspondent OF the
New York Tribune, who has recently
contributed a number of articles on the
Northwest and the four Few States,
writes to his paper of Olympia as follows:
at was with sense III relief, 50 pro-
found as 10 be incapable Il expression,
that first saw the town OF Olympia, the
pretty little capital Of Washington Terri
tory. In wanderings that had extended
over many thousands OF miles l had Wis.
tied hundred wonderful places that hui
man enterprise had reared where nature
apparently had no intention or desire
that town should exist I had been
tremendously impressed with the crea-
tive power OF the human intellect and
the human hand. had seen cities built
almost under my very eyes; had seen
great rocks dug from the mountains and
transformed into building-stones and put
one on top OF the other, until it seemed
as if magician's hand had reared a
magnificent building between night and
morning. l had gone over great rail-
road system, running in a straight line,
almost, over river, around lake, across
plain and through mountains railroad
system as powerful and impressive as the
mysterious and magnificent land through
which it ran. had seen its trains dis
charge all those comforts and convent
ences that make existence pleasant in
the East. l had seen those grateful luxu-
rics deposited in newly built homes,
which were rendered as delightful as any
to be found elsewhere. l had Toasted my
eyes on the rarest scenic effects that ma
ture in whatever mood-amiable, tender,
gloomy, terrible-had ever been minded
to create. But until saw Olympia had
never seen the honeysuckle growing, the
apple trees in blossom, birch trees sweep
ing the sky, oaks spreading their delight
full shade over lawn and field. When at
last l came upon this delightful little
city, with its verdure dressed trees, its
quaint homes with their whitewashed
fronts and their green shutters, / saw
something that had long been missed.
Olympia, like all other capitals,
possesses a charming official society and
all those aristocratic elements which be-
long to official life. AS a community it
exerts a powerful influence upon the
Territory; an influence Of which it is ex-
ceedingly jealous. 1t is partaking in a
considerable degree of the remarkable
prosperity which Washington, both east
and west of the Cascades, is enjoying"
The Masons have a fine temple at
Olympia. 1t stands ON an eminence op-
posite the new hotel. Two blocks further
down the street the Odd Fellows have
erected the finest block in the city. The
Knights of Pythias, the Grand Army of
the Republic, the Good Templars and
the Ancient Order Of United WOrkmen
are all represented by local lodges or
posts. There is social club for gentle
men, the Potlatch, and the ladies have
the Woman's Club of Olympia, to which
many of the leaders o. Olympian society
belong. The Baptists, Catholics, Cor
gregationalists, Episcopaiians, Method
lists and Presbyterians all have comfort
able and pretty church edifices. There
is fine. large hospital, conducted by the
Sisters. the Olympia Collegiate Insti-
tute for young men and ladies, a girls
academy and number of large public
schools, located in the different sections
Of the city. SO that every religious and
educational advantage is at the CON-
mand of the citizens. During the year
there are a number OF parties, receptions
and balls, which are always largely at
tended. But the attractions Of Olympia
are not confined to the city itself. The
beautiful drives which radiate out from
the city in all directions have already
been referred to. No city in the State
has more of them, and nowhere are they
prettier than there. where one can drive
for hours through beautiful primeval for
ests, passing, as it were, through one
continual park. The hunter and fisher
man will find the vicinity of Olympia a
veritable paradise. Game abounds in
the woods, and ducks and other wild
fowl flock there in large numbers. The
delicious Puget Sound oysters and clans,
the latter suggesting those delightful pic
MICS known as clam bakes," are pc
culiarly attractive feature of Olympia,
which no visitor fails to enjoy greatly
As one of the delegates from east Of the
mountains to the constitutional Conven.
ton remarked, There is no place like
Olympia to have good time and fol
thorough enjoyment"
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