I fondly remember my grandpa, Bill Trosper, telling me that he was 10 years old when he arrived in Thurston County from Kansas in 1892. He added that the countryside south of old Tumwater at that time was so full of old-growth timber that a person could walk from what is today Capitol Boulevard all the way to Black Lake on fallen logs without having to touch the ground. He was known to exaggerate at times. Thurston County History sounds different when looked through the eyes of the young.
On October 1, 1917 state and county officials held a dinner at the Olympia Elks’ Club to celebrate the opening of the Second Liberty Loan campaign. After enjoying a three course chicken dinner, the guests listened to several speakers. But there was one speaker they might not have expected: Ada Mowell, leader of the Thurston County Minute Women.