Steilacoom Historical Museum Association (Out of Many, One display)
Steilacoom Harbor
The Steilacoom Harbor by Paul Clinton is a hand-drawn copy of an original 1862 lithograph. It depicts early Steilacoom, a pioneer town that became a “Town of Firsts.”
- 1849 – First Territorial Court in Washington
- 1849 – First Port of Washington
- 1852 – First Post Office began (June 14, 1852)
- 1853 – First protestant church north of the Columbia River
- 1854 – First incorporated town in Washington
- 1858 – First School District, Public Library, Jail in Washington
The maritime history and economic strength of the early town is indicated by the tall ships trading between San Francisco and British Columbia, and the steam ferry. The Indian canoe reminds that this was the ancestral land of the Steilacoom Tribe. Several structures depicted still survive in the Steilacoom Historical District. Others like the church, Masonic Hall, and commercial buildings contributed to the town’s civic values and its founders aspirations to be a welcoming and peaceful community.
How it represents the community’s American experience:
This image and the story of the town of Steilacoom represents the American experience and the dream of founder Lafayette Balch to start a new community, with economic growth and trade that would encourage others headed to a new life to find a place for themselves. The growing town is depicted with a church, a Masonic Hall, homes and businesses that brought together settlers who wanted a full community for their families with a school, a library, merchants, laws and opportunity. It depicts the settler experience with that of the Indigenous peoples who had lived on this land since time immemorial and suddenly were faced with a new reality not of their making. It captures an American experience, which can be both admired and judged as it creates transitions as well as tensions for the still new nation.
On display at the Steilacoom Historical Museum, April–October, Saturdays & Sundays 1–5 p.m. April–October, 2026.
