- Tolmie, William F. (1812-1886) (historylink.org)
Dr. William F. Tolmie played a significant role in the Puget Sound region as it came under United States jurisdiction and Washington Territory was created. A young Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) clerk and surgeon, Tolmie participated in the 1833 establishment of Fort Nisqually (in present-day DuPont), the first non-Native settlement on Puget Sound. During his early years in the Northwest Tolmie kept extensive journals describing the region’s land, peoples, and cultures. He collected plant and animal specimens and cultural artifacts for scientists in England. He returned to Fort Nisqually in 1843, taking charge as it transitioned from fur-trading outpost to center of extensive farming operations under HBC subsidiary Puget Sound Agricultural Company (PSAC). Tolmie followed the British company’s policy of friendly, cooperative relations with Native tribes and attempted the same with the growing number of American settlers. This proved increasingly difficult as settlers encroached on company farmlands and American efforts to confine tribes on small reservations led to war in 1855-1856, with Tolmie and HBC caught in the middle. In 1859, with PSAC transferring more operations from American territory to Vancouver Island, Tolmie moved to Victoria, where he took charge of PSAC farms on the island.
- Earthquake shakes Puget Sound on June 29, 1833. (historylink.org)
On June 29, 1833, an earthquake shakes the Puget Sound region. William Tolmie (1812-1886), the young Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) doctor recently left temporarily in charge of Fort Nisqually, records the event in his journal. His journal entry is the first surviving eyewitness account of an earthquake in the region.
- Liz Cheney (Wikipedia)
Elizabeth Lynne Cheney (/ˈtʃeɪni/; born July 28, 1966) is an American attorney and politician. She represented Wyoming’s at-large congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2017 to 2023, and served as chair of the House Republican Conference—the third-highest position in the House Republican leadership—from 2019 to 2021. Cheney is known for her vocal opposition to former president Donald Trump. As of March 2023, she is a professor of practice at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.