Helping children and families in need during the holidays is an important annual activity for numerous organizations and clubs in Olympia and Thurston During the dark days of the Great Depression of the 1930s, when many families were facing poverty, one of the most active community organizations was the Elks’ Jingle Club.
The Legislature has met in different buildings in Olympia. Washington’s first purpose-built Capitol was a small wooden structure located at what is now the western side of the Capitol Campus.
The Port of Olympia was in its infancy in the late 1920s when it hosted the Olympia Maru, a Japanese freighter named in honor of the city. The ship’s visit was considered a civic festival.
Many people are familiar with citizen science crowdsourcing initiatives that enable members of the general public to become involved with research, perhaps by taking swabs of dirt from their homes