The Pacific Northwest - Squaxin Park, formerly Priest Point Park (A Darker Side to Olympia History)

In this episode of Searching for History, Erin and I discuss the name change from Priest Point Park to Squaxin Park and visit several locations around Olympia. The Squaxin Island Tribe has lived on the lands and waters around Budd Inlet since time immemorial. The land that is now the City of Olympia, was once known by a Lushootseed name that means, frequented by black bears. The area and the Squaxin people who lived in villages along the shores of Budd Inlet were known as the Steh-Chass. A village that was once located at Olympia was called, Steh-Chass. In 1848, French Catholic missionaries, known as the Oblate Fathers, established a mission on Budd Inlet. Father Pascal Ricard, established the St. Joseph d’Olympia Mission and School for Native American boys, with the purpose of conversion to Christianity. The school was a forced assimilation school and terrible piece of Olympia history that not many people know about. After the dissolution of the mission, the property changed hands many times, and the majority of the land eventually ended up becoming a park owned by the City of Olympia. Originally named Priest Point Park, the name was changed to Squaxin Park in April of 2022. Please join us as we visit Olympia and Squaxin Park and talk about Budd Inlet’s cultural history and the history of the park’s former Catholic mission and school.

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Music Attributions
Song 1: To the Top by Silent Partner (YouTube Audio Library License, no attribution is required)
Song 2: Snowy Peaks pt I by Chris Haugen (YouTube Audio Library License, no attribution is required)