History of Tenino
By Curt Cunningham

Klapeadam

The area that surrounds the city of Tenino was originally called Kla-pe-ad-am. This name is said to have been given by the Nisqually people. The Upper Chehalis used the prairies in the area to hunt wild game, and they fished for salmon in Scatter creek during the spawning season. There is an old legend that Tenino was once a meeting place for the tribes from the Columbia, Willapa, Chehalis, and Cowlitz rivers, and from the Puget Sound, Snoqualmie area, and Eastern Washington. Here they would gather to discuss politics, trade, gamble and socialize. Because of where Tenino is situated this legend is most likely true.

Tenino is located at the crossroads of the ancient trails that ran between the Columbia river, Willapa harbor, Grays harbor, the Puget Sound, Snoqualmie falls, and Eastern Washington. From Tenino, the north trail continued over Chaenn hill and terminated where the Deschutes river empties into the Puget Sound. The east trail ran to the Nisqually river delta, the Puyallup river delta, and connected with other trails going north to Snoqualmie falls and east over Naches pass to Yakima. The west trail ran to Grays harbor from Grand Mound and another trail led west from Chehalis to Raymond on the Willapa. The south trail ran to the landing on the Cowlitz river to meet the canoes coming up from the Columbia.

One of the earliest known residents of the area was "Indian Louis" Quityamals. It is said that he was born under an oak tree somewhere along Scatter creek in the 1830's. He was named Louis by a Hudson's Bay employee. Louis was a popular figure to all the pioneers of Tenino and lived in the area all his life. He passed away in 1916 and is buried at Mt. Tabor Cemetery. There is a memorial in his honor located at the Tenino Depot museum that was placed there in 1985.

The Portage Route

In 1824, the Hudson Bay Company (HBC) sent an exploration party north of the Columbia. They began the journey at Fort Astoria and traveled up the coastline to Grays harbor. The party then traveled up the Chehalis river to the Black river and then up that river a few miles before taking a trail to Eld Inlet on the Puget Sound. From there they rented canoes from the locals and explored the Puget Sound northward as far as the Fraser river in Canada. On their return trip, the party decided to follow the Cowlitz river south to the Columbia. The explorers made it back to Fort Astoria unharmed. 

Fort Vancouver was established on the Columbia in 1824 and Fort Langley was established in 1827 on the Fraser river. The Hudson's Bay Company wanted an inland supply route between these forts. This was because sailing ships were expensive to operate and not very reliable, and they could not be used during the winter. The trappers would use canoes to travel back and forth on the Columbia and Cowlitz rivers between Fort Vancouver and the Cowlitz Landing, which was located about a mile downstream from Toledo. From the landing, pack trains would take the supplies north to the Budd Inlet. The trail was known by the HBC people as the Cowlitz Portage, and later the emigrants would call it the Cowlitz Trail. After reaching Puget Sound the people and cargo were loaded into canoes for the trip north along the shores of Puget Sound to Fort Langley.

In 1833, Fort Nisqually was established north of the Nisqually river delta near the town of Dupont. The trappers and pack trains now began to take the old trail that ran east from Tenino, which took them to the Tenalquot prairie. From there, the trail continued northwest to Eaton's prairie and then north over the hill to the Nisqually river crossing that was located just north of the Red Wind Casino. The HBC employees did not like the crossing of the Nisqually on that route, and by 1849 traffic had shifted to the upper crossing, which was located at McKenna.

In 1838, the HBC created a farming subsidiary called the Puget Sound Agricultural Company (PSAC). The PSAC was headquartered at Fort Nisqually, but answered to the HBC at Fort Vancouver. The PSAC started to farm on a large scale. The largest of the farms was called the Cowlitz Farm, and was located on the Cowlitz prairie a few miles north of the Cowlitz Landing. At its peak, the Cowlitz Farm had 4,000 acres of cultivated land and pastures.

These farming operations increased traffic on the old trail between the Cowlitz Landing and Fort Nisqually. Improvements were needed so the company could use their 2-wheeled ox carts to haul grains and produce from the farms back to the fort. On April 28, 1849, in the Nisqually Journal of Occurrences, there was this notation; "Mr. Ross and party returned about noon having rendered the road from Tenalquot to Grand prairie passable for wagons." The Grand prairie that Dr. Tolmie is referring to is Grand Mound prairie. This section of the trail was through forests and needed to be cleared of the trees that fell during the winter. The rest of the way to the landing was though prairies which was easy to travel over. The grassy prairies also served as the fuel stations for the animals.

The First Emigrants

The first American emigrants to settle in the area of Tenino was on May 10, 1852, when Joseph Broshears, who was a relation of Michael T. Simmons, took a claim on Rocky prairie, which is located on north side of Chaenn hill. Five days later, Stephen Hodgdon arrived and took a claim on Scatter creek near the Pacific Highway crossing in Tenino. Samuel Davenport arrived a few weeks later and took a claim at what will become the west end of Tenino. 

Next was Antonio B. Rabbeson, who had been in the region since 1847, took a claim where Waldrick Road meets Old Highway 99. This area would later be known as Plumb Station. Benjamin Henness arrived on November 1, 1853, and took a claim on the eastern side of Hodgdon's claim. The Military Road would have to go around his land. This is why the Military Road makes the turn to the north about a quarter mile east of Sussex Ave. before continuing eastward. On October 30, 1853, Joseph Gibson arrived and took a claim south of Tenino along Scatter creek. 

Just south of Gibson, was Reuben Crowder, and west of him was William Martin, who arrived on June 1, 1853. Later that year Gilbert Frost arrived and settled on a prairie south of Tenino that now bears his name. West of Tenino on Scatter creek, Ignatius Colvin took a claim after arriving on February 15, 1855. The home Colvin built in 1877, still stands today. To the west of Colvin was Abram Tilley, which Tilley Road is named for. Tilley's place was one of the many rest stops for travelers using the Cowlitz Trail and later the Military Road.

These early settlers who were scattered around this general area made up the Coal Bank community of the 1850's. The name Coal Bank came from an outcropping of coal which was discovered not long after the settlers arrived. Coal Bank was not actually the name of a town, but rather the name used for the voting precinct.

During the War of 1855, the people living at Coal Bank fled their homes to Grand Mound and the safety of Fort Henness. The fort was named after Benjamin Henness of Tenino. There were 224 people who lived at the fort for 16 months until it was deemed safe to return to their homes. There was never any battles in the area and the fort was never attacked, though many farms were destroyed. After the war, some of the settlers remained frightened and became discouraged at future prospects, and a large number packed up their belongings and resettled in the Willamette valley. This reduction in the population caused the Coal Bank voting precinct to be dissolved. 

Even though hostilities ended in the summer of 1856, many of the residents continued to live in fear. It would take another year for them to feel safe enough to get back to resuming their normal lives. After 1857, things started to get back to a semblance of normality. Many new families began to arrive again and the current residents were now back to clearing and improving their farms. Marriages were taking place all over the region after the war, and many new families were created. In 1862, the Coal Bank school was established at the Webster place on the Frost prairie and by 1866, there were enough people living in the Coal Bank community that the voting precinct was reinstated.

In the summer of 1857, the Military Road was completed through Tenino to the Skookum Chuck and on April 17, 1860, a post office was established at Hodgdon's farm in Tenino with Steven Hodgden as the postmaster. When the stages began to run on the road, Hodgden to converted his home into a hotel and stage stop for the coaches that were running between Monticello, the Cowlitz Landing, Olympia and Steilacoom. His farm became known as "Hodgdon's Station."

The Northern Pacific

At the beginning of the 1870's, excitement was brewing in anticipation of the Northern Pacific building a railroad line from Kalama to Puget Sound. By 1871, the line had been extended 21 miles north of Kalama. Over 800 people were working on the line. William Huston and his partner formed the McGrath and Huston company, which ran a boarding camp for the workers. Fred Brown and his partner started the Brown and Wakefield Company that operated a general store. The boarding house and store building were mobile and were moved as the construction progressed northward.

In the fall of 1872, the Northern Pacific reached Tenino and the company built a depot, which they called "Tenino Station." Construction of the line was halted there for the winter. William Huston and Fred Brown had grown tired of following the construction and decided to stay at Tenino. Huston then built a hotel next to the new depot and Brown built a general store next to the hotel. The location of these buildings was near the corner of Olympia and Park Streets. This was the beginning of the town. It is not known what happened to Huston and Brown's partners, though it is speculated that they continued to follow the railroad when they resumed work that spring.

Tenino is Born

The town of Tenino was platted out by the Lake Superior and Puget Sound Land Company in partnership with Stephen Hodgdon. The first plat was 5 blocks with 60 lots that were 60 x 120 feet. The plat was recorded on July 5, 1873. It appears that Hodgden had previously platted out 19 additional blocks that were called "Hodgdon's Addition," which was recorded on May 22, 1873.

There are many stories about the origin of the word "Tenino." The railroad employees of the day, would use a shorthand for the town "T-9-O". To best answer this question, read the book, The Naming of Tenino written by Richard Edwards, who is the Tenino historian. The book is available at no cost from the city of Tenino's website. The link to their website is on the side bar of this page.

In 1874, the Northern Pacific completed their line to Tacoma which bypassed Olympia. This obviously angered the citizens of Olympia as rumors had suggested the railroad was going to come through their town. Because of the rumors, Olympia had experienced a real estate boom which quickly turned to a bust. Olympia would now have to rely on stage coaches to transport passengers and cargo between Tenino and Olympia. The Winsor Transportation Company, was one of the stage lines that filled this need, and ran stages between these two towns. Rice Tilley was one of the drivers. The Passenger fare between Olympia and Tenino was $1.50. 

On May 9, 1874, the telegraph wire between Olympia and Steilacoom was taken down and reinstalled between Olympia and Tenino, putting the Olympia office on a loop.

Traveling to Tenino on the Train

On January 10, 1874, a traveler from Portland boarded a Northern Pacific train bound for Tacoma and wrote about their journey on arrival at Tenino; "Wishing to visit Olympia, we laid over in Tenino Friday night, and the next morning we chartered a private conveyance, driven by Charley Mable, an old stage proprietor on the Sound. Weather terrifically cold, snow on the ground to the depth of thirteen inches and freezing hard." 

"About five miles from Tenino we descended Chaenn Hill in safety where the terrible stage accident occurred a few days ago, by which a resident of Tacoma named Jemison, was killed outright, and two others badly injured. Seven miles from Olympia we entered the first real prairie we had seen in Washington Territory. It is four and a half miles long by one and a half wide, and is the only one in this part of the country that amounts to much. After crossing it, we entered the town of Tumwater, what does "Tumwater" mean?"

"Here is a small town of probably 250 inhabitants, two flouring mills, three saw mills, several stores, blacksmith shops, and a large manufactory for wooden pipe. The town is located on the extreme head of Budd's Inlet at head of tide water. A drive of a mile and a half brought us to Olympia, the capital of Washington Territory, also situated on Budd's Inlet. The city is built in a sort of semi-circle, on both sides of the bay, and also on a little cape that projects out into the bay or inlet, the different parts of the town being connected with bridges."

"The ground upon which Olympia is built, rises gradually from the tide flats in front to an elevation to probably one hundred feet, so that there is hardly a house in the place from which you cannot get a tine view of the Bay. A splendid view of that grand old mountain, Rainier, can be had from this point. They claim for Olympia a population of 3,000 people, but we think it would take some work to find 2,000. It being the capital, all of the 'Territorial, as well as a good many of the Federal offices, are rooted here. The next morning we took the steamer Zephyr to Tacoma."

Tragedy in Tenino 

On February 13, 1877, a fire broke out at Hodgdon's Station. The house at the time was occupied by Stephen Hodgdon, the family of Daniel Ward, and a young man who was employed on the farm. The first discovery of the fire was made by the farmhand who woke up to find his room full of smoke and then quickly woke the other occupants before jumping out of a second story window. Hodgdon was badly burned on the face before he could escape. Daniel and his wife were able to get out unharmed. Unfortunately, the Ward's 10 year old daughter Jessie, who was sleeping on the second floor, was not able to escape and succumbed to the flames. Afterward, her charred remains were taken from the home that had completely burned to the ground.

In the few moments, during which a rescue through the upper window could have been possible, every effort was made to awake her. The window was finally broken in, but when dense volumes of smoke poured in, removed every hope of rescue. The funeral of little Jessie took place at Tenino with, Rev. D. N. Utter officiating. The charred remains were interred in the newly-made burial-ground within view of the site of the sad casualty. The bereaved family members had the sincere sympathy of the people. The writer ends his story with; "None but a parent's heart can know the extent of their loss, or the inadequacy of human sympathy to still the chords of feeling thus violently stirred."

On February 23, 1877, a traveler wrote about their trip from Portland to Olympia a week after the disastrous fire; "The railroad leading from Kalama to Tenino, stands as firm and secure as the day it was completed. Railroad experts who have examined this line pronounce it of the very best quality of railroad building. At Olequa, Newaukum and other stations are to be seen evidences that many new settlers have come in since the completion of the road. Farms have been opened up, houses built and other improvements made, General Sprague is offering lands along the line of the road at bed-rock prices." 

"He is desirous that, the country should settle up with industrious people, and to this end allows nothing to stand in the way of the settler. Scattered here and there on the dead ferns and logs and in the shady nooks are seen remnants of Sunday's snowstorm. Monday the snow had all disappeared at Vancouver, but here, owing to the forests and the higher altitude and higher latitude, the temperature has been less mild." 

"As we near Tenino the clouds thicken and the sky is tilled with the feathery whiteness so beautiful to look at when one is snugly stowed away in a warm railroad car. As the train advances the snow grows deeper, and when at last we step upon the platform at Tenino, it covers the ground to the depth of about three inches. Our party has now an opportunity to take another lesson in staging. Tenino is the point where the road branches off to Olympia."

"The Northern Pacific goes on to Tacoma and the Olympia-Tenino Railroad, although with most of the grading done, still remains in that unfinished, embryonic stage. The road to Olympia is so uncomfortable for travelers, and for horses who have to do the drawing, Mr. Rice Tilley, the stage driver, is a very accommodating gentleman and does everything in his power to make his passengers comfortable." 

"He had the misfortune to break down his covered stage the day previous, and so today, when the weather was inclement and eight or nine passengers awaited transportation, he had to make the best out out of a light express wagon with three seats. But with a great deal of planning, crowding and backing out, the wagon was at last off with six passengers, besides the driver and a two-story trunk containing sundry articles indispensable to the ball toilette of the lady passenger."

"The wagon bumped over the rocks, and the company were in the merriest frame of mind imaginable. But a cloud was thrown over their cheerful faces when they drove by the smoking ruins of the residence of Mr. Hodgdon, where only the night previous the fire had burned everything to the ground and destroyed the life of beautiful little Nellie Hodgdon, a young girl about eleven years of age, who was sleeping in the building and whom it was impossible to rescue, so rapidly had the flames done their work before discovery." 

"Around the ruins all was as peaceful and still as though only a few hours before it had not been the scene of such great disaster and suffering. The driver did not spare his horses, and at the expiration of two hours we were descending the hill to Tumwater, that picturesque little village of water power notoriety. The mailbags were exchanged and we swung around across the bridge and were soon on the plank road, which is the extension of Main Street, in Olympia." 

"Night was falling over us rapidly as we passed in review the many familiar scenes of our by-gone home. We landed at the Carlton House, cold as a family of frogs, but the hospitality of Mrs. Clarke soon put good-natured faces on the party, and active preparations were begun for surprising friends at the masquerade at Columbia Hall, at nine o'clock that evening."

Tenino Events from the Late 1800's to 1900

On August 1, 1878, the Olympia and Tenino short line railroad was completed and 700 people took an excursion on the first trip to Tenino. The train took the first 350 people on the 24 mile round trip in the morning and then took another 350 people on the trip in the afternoon. The train was full to capacity and took and hour and a half to complete the trip. This was the beginning of the end for the Olympia stage lines. 

On January 01, 1880, the telegraph wire between Olympia and Tenino was replaced by new galvanized wire and the entire line throughout the territory was repaired and upgraded. Two weeks later, the telegraph office in Tenino was discontinued and the wages for the operator at the Olympia office were reduced.

By 1880, Tenino consisted of a railroad depot, store and hotel. By July of that year, Fred Brown, General J. W. Sprague and R. Wingate had purchased the Olympia Tenino railroad, after which Brown then sold his business in Tenino to Joseph Blumauer and moved to Olympia to manage the railroad. 

By the mid 1880's Tenino was prospering. The Blumauer store was doing a good business and had kept a large supply of essential needs. Around 1885, Ruben Warren established a second store. About a mile south of town Kennedy and Barrett were operating a sawmill. In 1887, Tenino had a population of 75.

At the end of the 1880's, logging around Tenino was in the beginning stages, and in the summer of 1888, on a hillside south of town, a fine grade of sandstone was discovered by J. W. Fenton and George Van Tine. They then established the Tenino Stone Quarry Company. The first shipments of cut sandstone was made in the summer of 1889. Many buildings in the Puget Sound cities, were constructed using Tenino sandstone. 

Tenino built its first school building in 1890, and was a one room structure built on the south edge of today's Parkside school. By 1891, Tenino had a population of 335 and was the same year the short lived Tenino Enterprise newspaper, was established by Clarence Berry. By 1891, Tenino had 2 sandstone quarries, a shingle factory, a sawmill, 5 general stores, 3 hotels, 2 restaurants, 4 saloons, 2 barber shops, and the newspaper office.

This was about the time the Northern Pacific decided to move their depot near the junction on the west end of town just south of 6th Avenue. Some of the businesses moved to be near the depot but many others refused to move. After the depot had moved to its new location, the Snyder and Smith addition to town was platted. This new addition aligned the streets parallel to the railroad tracks and tried to get the Hodgdon's addition to do the same, but they refused. This is why everything west of Ritter Street runs at an angle to the rest of the town. This is when the awkward corner at Sussex and Ritter Streets was created. 

The great depression of 1893 caused many Tenino businesses to fail. The sandstone industry ground to a halt and the entire economy of the town suffered. During those hard times with no money, all there was to eat, was wild game and fish along with boiled potatoes. By 1895, Tenino slowly began to recover and the quarries and mills eased back into operation, and by the end of the decade the town was beginning to show signs of growth and prosperity. 

At the beginning of the 20th century, Tenino was booming again and was beginning to rival Bucoda in population.