As any area student will tell you, the Puget Sound is named after Peter Puget, who sailed on the HMS Discovery, with Captain George Vancouver. Below is a portion of Puget’s journal, transcribed by local historian and author Steve Lundin. This portion of the journal describes his trip down Totten, Eld, and Budd Inlets. Incidentally, Vancouver anchored Discovery near present day Seattle and sent Puget in command of two rowing craft to survey south, in May and into June, 1792. So, you see, Puget wasn’t in our area with a ship like that depicted in the photo here. The portion of the journal here starts part way down page 197.

[Puget refers to “Friendly Indians” who followed his boats near Nisqually Flats.] They did not leave us to after we had passed the SSW Channel and still conducted themselves in the most inoffensive and peaceable Manner — by Noon we had reached the Continental Shore that now trended about West and pursued it for Ten Miles to an Island where we were glad to stop and erect our Tents to avoid a threatening Squall from the SE about two it came on with Thunder Lightning and a heavy Gust which continued without Intermission all the Afternoon The Rain fell in perfect torrents; we therefore were obliged to remain in our Quarters Till Next Morning Thursday May 24th.

We again set out Early and pursuing the Continent which now trended to the Northward of West by 8 we had determined the termination of this Branch about 12 Miles from Wednesday Island [probably Herron Island in Case Inlet], here we tryed the Seine and caught only one Salmon trout. from this termination we entered another Branch trending in a SW and Southerly and in various Directions [Pickering Passage, between Harstine Island and the Olympic Peninsula] but not more than 1/4 or 1/2 a Mile Broad we continued on till 6 in the Evening when we brought too for the Night and dinner, from this Situation we could see a Channel to the SE [either Peales Passage or Squaxin Passage] by which we hoped to return into the Main Branch through an Opening in the Opposite Shore where the last Canoes had left us.

Early Next Morning Friday May 25th we had a Survey on the Provisions which we found would last till Wednesday next. I therefore thought it best to determine this alternative Navigation and save the trouble of a Second Expedition to this Extent [page 198] We had likewise been successful in procuring a good Quantity of Clams which with Nettle tops Fat Hen and gooseberry Tops greatly assisted the customary allowance of Provisions and Yesterday during a hard Shower of Rain we were particularly fortunate in that Respect — — for the Boats could have loaded with the former, and the People were not averse to eating Crows of which we could always procure plenty. Therefore, as our continuance out could not be attended with any Inconvenience, but would be saving time, We pursued our Examination of the Southern narrow Inlet [Totten Inlet] the termination of which we sounded out by Noon — In this Branch were many beautiful Spots the Low Surrounding country though thickly covered with Wood had a very pleasant Appearance, now in the height of Spring. We had already passed during this Expedition several Small deserted Villages which were supposed to be only the temporary Habitations of Fishermen, we took advantage of the Remaining part of the Tide to come down as far as possible and about five Miles from the termination stopped to Dine

In the Evening we were fortunate in reaching the SE passage seen from last Nights Sleeping Place where we pitched out Tents in a very pleasant Situation; Early next morning Saturday May 26th with a continuance of favorable Weather we pursued another Small Branch [Eld Inlet] that nearly ran parallel to the one we had determined yesterday. About an Hour after we had set out, An Indian Village made it Appearance from whence some Canoes came off perfectly unarmed He pointed that we were near the Termination of this Arm, which Intelligence we found true; In our Way down we landed for a Short time and were received by the Inhabitants with all the Friendship and Hospitality we could have expected — These people I should suppose were about Sixty in Number of all Ages and Descriptions they lived under a Kind of Shed open at the Front and Sides. The Women appeared employed in the Domestic Duties such as curing Clams and fish, making Baskets of various Colours and as nearly woven that they are perfectly watertight. The Occupations of the Men I believe consists chiefly in Fishing, constructing Canoes and performing all the Labourious Work of the Village; Though it was perfectly Curiosity which had induced us to land, yet that was the sooner satisfied by the horrid Stench which came from all parts of these Habitations, with which they were delighted.

The Natives had but Two Sea Otter Skins which were purchased and a variety of Marmot, Rabbit Raccoon Deer and Bear skins were also procured The Men had a War Garment on, it consisted of a very thick Hide supposedly made from the Moose Deer, and well prepared — I have no doubt but it [page 199] is a Sufficient Shield against Arrows, though not against Fire Arms The Garment reaches from the Shoulders down to the Knees, this however was got in exchange for a Small piece of Copper, from which we may suppose they were not of much Value, they likewise disposed of some well constructed Bows and Arrows, in Short it was only to ask, and have your Wish gratified, the only Difference, I perceived between our present Companions and former Visitors, were the Extravagance with Which their Faces were Ornamented. Streaks of Red Ochre and Black Glimmer, were on some, others entirely with the Former, and a few that gave the Preference to the Latter — ever Person had a fashion of his own, and to us who were Strangers to Indians, this Sight conveyed a Stronger Force of the Savageness of the Native Inhabitants, then any other Circumstance we had hitherto met with; not but their Conduct, friendly and inoffensive, had already merited our warmest Approbation, but their Appearance was absolutely terrific. And it will frequently occur, that the Imagination receives a much greater Shock by such unusual Objects, than it would otherwise would, was that Object divested of its Exterior Ornaments or Dress, or the Sight was more familiarized to People in a State of Nature and Though we could not behold these Ornaments with the same satisfactory Eye as themselves, yet in receiving the looking Glasses, each appeared well Satisfied with his own Fashion, at least the Paint was not at all altered. — They likewise had the Hair covered with the Down of Birds; which certainly was a good substitute for Powder, and the Paint only differed in the Colours and not the Quantity used by our own Fair Country women — In those two Instances we meet with some Resemblance to our Customs and I believe the above mentioned Ornaments were of a Ceremonious Nature for our Reception at the Village — —

From Friendly Inlet we pulled up another [Budd Inlet] in the same Direction and landed not far from its termination to Breakfast whither the Indians from the last Arm had followed us. here they made Signs, that this Branch was the Same as their own, which after a Quarter of an hours Row we found to be the case.

Steve Lundin is a long-time resident of the Griffin community located in northwest Thurston County. He received a B.A. degree from the University of Washington and a J.D. degree from the University of Washington Law School and recently retired as a senior counsel for the Washington State House of Representatives after nearly 30 years.

He is recognized as the local historian of the Griffin area and has written a number of articles on local history and a book entitled Griffin Area Schools, available from the Griffin Neighborhood Association at a cost of $10.

Lundin also wrote a comprehensive reference book on local governments in Washington State entitled The Closest Governments to the People – A Complete Reference Guide to Local Government in Washington State. The book costs $85, plus shipping and handling. It is available on the web from the Division of Governmental Studies and Services, Washington State University, or from WSU Extension.

If you have old historic photos of the Griffin area, or family stories of the old days in the Griffin area, please contact Steve Lundin at s.lundin@comcast.net. Steve is most interested in photos of the old two-story Grange Hall in the Griffin area and the old Schneider’s Prairie schoolhouse that burned to the ground in 1926.

The Griffin community is located in northwest Thurston County and occupies the Steamboat Island peninsula that extends northward into southern Puget Sound.

The history or the Griffin community falls into three distinct periods.

The first period was the history of indigenous peoples before contact with white people. Indigenous peoples inhabited Puget Sound for thousands of years before the arrival of white people. They were known as the “People of the Water” and considered Puget Sound to be a sacred place. They relied the Sound their basic means of transportation and as a source of food, including clams, oysters, and salmon.

Separate, but closely related, bands of indigenous peoples inhabited the seven inlets of southern Puget Sound. Each band occupied the watershed of the inlet – both sides of the inlet, including the Squi-Ailt who occupied the Eld Inlet watershed and the T’Peeksin who occupied the Totten Inlet watershed.

During cold weather, members of a band occupied cedar long houses in a village located at the sheltered end of each inlet. Remains of a large long house have been found on former Secretary of State Ralph Munro’s property located on the eastern shore of Mud Bay at the southern end of Eld Inlet. During warm weather, families units from each band fanned out along both sides of their inlet and lived in less permanent dwellings.

The second period involved the arrival of white people and their early interactions with indigenous peoples. These interactions had calamitous consequences with large numbers of native peoples losing their lives to disease brought by white men.

The first whites arriving in the Puget Sound area included Captain Vancouver, Peter Puget, and Captain Gray. Peter Puget explored the southern portion of Puget Sound in 1792. He named many areas which remain as local place names, including Eld and Totten Inlets. His journal describes indigenous peoples as being friendly and hospitable.

The United States and Great Britain jointly occupied what was called Old Oregon Country from 1818 until 1846 without consulting the indigenous peoples of this area. The Hudson Bay Company opened Fort Nisqually on southern Puget Sound in 1833. Michael T. Simmons and George W. Bush led the first American settlers on Puget Sound, arriving at what became Tumwater in 1845. A Treaty of 1846 ended the Joint Occupancy and established the western boundary between Canada and the United States. Congress created Oregon Territory in 1848 from the American portion of what remained of Old Oregon Country. The Oregon Territorial Assembly created Thurston County in 1852. Congress created Washington Territory out of the northern portion of Oregon Territory in 1853.

Newly appointed Governor Isaac I. Stevens negotiated a number of treaties between the United States and indigenous peoples in Washington Territory. This included the Medicine Creek Treaty of 1854 that was signed by Governor Stevens and representatives of various tribes and bands of indigenous peoples living on southern Puget Sound. Indigenous peoples ceded 4,000 square miles of land in return for three small reservations and the right to fish “at all usual and accustomed grounds”. The Squaxin Tribe was recognized as a combination of the bands of indigenous peoples living on the seven inlets in southern Puget Sound, including the Squi-Ailt and T’Peeksin bands. Many indigenous peoples moved to a reservation located on Squaxin Island but most soon left as the Island had no source of drinking water. They supported themselves by logging, working on hop and berry farms, and harvesting shellfish and fin fish.

Early white settlers in the Griffin area were William W. Puffer and Benjamin F. Cross. Puffer filed a donation land claim in the early 1850’s for 160 acres of land on what became known as Schneider’s Prairie. He lived in a cabin was located near the current intersection of Sexton and Steamboat Island Road, north of the Highway 101 overpass. Puffer’s claim was rejected by the federal government. Then Benjamin Franklin Cross filed a claim for the same 160 acres. Other white people soon filed claims or purchased earlier land claims, including August and Konrad Schneider after whom the local prairie is named.

The third period is the modern period since the early interactions between white settlers and indigenous peoples. Many settlers and new comers moved into the Griffin area during this period. The Griffin community was transformed from rural settlements of whites and indigenous peoples into a suburban area with many residents commuting to work outside of the peninsula.

Thurston County remained as the local government providing governmental services and facilities in the Griffin area. This included a system of road, law enforcement, a court system, and public health regulation. Early roads were provide by the forced labor of adult males and property owners using a system of small road districts.

Thurston County created a system of public schools throughout the county. Mud Bay School District was formed around 1870 and served all of the northwestern portion of the county, including the Griffin community. The first schooling in what is now the Griffin community was in the late 1870’s at the log cabin of John and Ella Olson, located in what is now called the Holiday Valley Estates. Schneider’s Prairie School District was created out of part of Mud Bay School District in 1881. A schoolhouse was soon constructed at what is now the north end of Whittaker Road immediately south of the Highway 101 overpass. Territory was gradually removed from Schneider’s Prairie School District to create a number of new districts — Hunter Point School District at the north end of the Griffin peninsula in 1891, John Fry School District at the middle portion of the peninsula in 1891, and Oyster Bay School District at the southwest portion of Schneider’s Prairie School District in 1907.

These new districts were eventually reunited with Schneider’s Prairie School District, which was renamed as the Griffin School District. Oyster Bay School District consolidated with Schneider’s Prairie School District in 1922. John Fry School District consolidated with Schneider’s Prairie School District in 1923. The Schneider’s Prairie schoolhouse burned to the ground in the summer of 1926. Arthur Griffin owned considerable acreage on Schneider’s Prairie. He gave the school district five acres of land in exchange for the two acre site where the burned schoolhouse was located and the school district was renamed in his honor. A new brick schoolhouse opened at the new school property in the Spring of 1927. Hunter Point School District consolidated with Griffin School District in 1934.

Griffin School has changed since its early days. A new 12-classroom facility opened in 1969 and the old 1927 building was torn down. A middle school complex was added in 1978. Additional classrooms, and a gymnasium, music room, kitchen and cafeteria were added in 1989. A major remodeling project was completed in 2004.

Griffin Fire District (Thurston County Fire District No. 13) was created in 1962 to provide fire protection and emergency medical services in the Griffin area.

The county operates a public park at Frye Cove off of Young’s Road. Griffin School District and the county jointly provide additional facilities off of 41st Street.

Employment in the Griffin area during the early years of the modern period was based upon logging, farming, oyster growing, working on steamships, and working at local commercial enterprises. Major logging camps and logging rail roads at one time served the Griffin community and nearby area. Major shellfish harvesting operations also were located on both Oyster Bay and Mud Bay. These operations remain today, although the Olympia oyster is no longer the primary shellfish that is harvested. Somewhat large farming operations were located in the Griffin area at one time. Modern farming is much less substantial. A number of local businesses provide employment and services. Most residents now commute out of the Griffin area for their employment.

The Squaxin Tribe emerged as a major economic and cultural presence in the Griffin area during this period.

— STEVE LUNDIN
Copyright 2008 by Steve Lundin

Steve Lundin is a long-time resident of the Griffin community located in northwest Thurston County. He received a B.A. degree from the University of Washington and a J.D. degree from the University of Washington Law School and recently retired as a senior counsel for the Washington State House of Representatives after nearly 30 years.

He is recognized as the local historian of the Griffin area and has written a number of articles on local history and a book entitled Griffin Area Schools, available from the Griffin Neighborhood Association at a cost of $10.

Lundin also wrote a comprehensive reference book on local governments in Washington State entitled The Closest Governments to the People – A Complete Reference Guide to Local Government in Washington State. The book costs $85, plus shipping and handling. It is available on the web from the Division of Governmental Studies and Services, Washington State University, or from WSU Extension.

If you have old historic photos of the Griffin area, or family stories of the old days in the Griffin area, please contact Steve Lundin at s.lundin@comcast.net. Steve is most interested in photos of the old two-story Grange Hall in the Griffin area and the old Schneider’s Prairie schoolhouse that burned to the ground in 1926.