- Washington Territorial Legislature incorporates the City of Steilacoom on April 22, 1854. (historylink.org)
On April 22, 1854, Steilacoom becomes the first town in Washington to be incorporated by the new Washington Territorial Legislature. Originally two separate and competing towns founded in 1851 by Lafayette Balch (1825-1862) and John B. Chapman (1797-1877), they are combined into one by the incorporating legislation. Initially Steilacoom grows rapidly as an industrial and economic center. Despite its promising start, railroad construction in the 1870s will bypass the town, and its growth will slow as Tacoma becomes Pierce County’s main industrial and economic center. Steilacoom will eventually evolve into a commuter town surrounded by encroaching suburban development. Local efforts to preserve historic buildings and sites in Steilacoom beginning in the 1960s will lead to the town being named one of the state’s first designated historic districts.
- Steilacoom — Thumbnail History (historylink.org)
Steilacoom was one of the earliest non-Native settlements in the future state of Washington. Established just six years after Oregon Trail emigrants first arrived on Puget Sound, it quickly became a hub of social and economic activity. It was the first town incorporated by the territorial legislature and the first seat of government for Pierce County, but after the railroad bypassed Steilacoom in 1873, its early prominence faded. Steilacoom survived mainly as a vacation destination for visitors from larger cities and later as a bedroom community for nearby urban areas. In recent decades residents have embraced the town’s history through preservation projects and community events highlighting its importance in Washington’s history.
- HistoryLink.org
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