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October 3, 2022
Falling for Fall Leaves
According to the 2022 Fall Foliage Prediction Map, our trees will be at their peak between October 3 and 10. Be sure to come see the remaining salmon and ogle the picture-worthy leaves!
Foundation Updates
Lower Bridge Back Open
The lower bridge and staircase down to the viewing platform are now open to the public.

Thanks to FORMA Construction for the repairs and everyone who respected our signage and stayed off the bridge during the closure.
Falls Fest was Fantastic
Saturday we hosted Tumwater Falls Fest with the City of Tumwater to celebrate the history of the Deschutes River as a traditionally sacred area as well as a place of trade and industry.

We had over 1,000 visitors come and buy from local artisans and food vendors, learn about salmon and stream health, and walk the trail on a scavenger hunt. The art tent, face painting, historical crafts, and balloon animals were a big hit with the kid crowd! Thank you to everyone who made it possible and to those who stopped by!
Lee Pilon with WDFW presented a salmon education program at Tumwater Falls Hatchery to an inquisitive, all-ages crowd. Make sure to stop by the hatchery by mid-October before the fish are gone for the season!
Our first History Pub at Heritage with Chuck Denney was a hole in one. Chuck talked about the development of Tumwater Valley Golf Course and showed a clip from a 1970s documentary on its construction. That video is available on YouTube here.
Schmidt House Renovation
We've started major upgrades to the Schmidt House, including enlarging the archives and expanding temperature control to new areas. We are also adding a new ADA lift to the first floor and accessible bathroom.

We expect to open the house to the public again next summer.
Upcoming Events
History Pub at Heritage:
1962 Columbus Day Storm
October's History Pub is this Thursday, October 6, about the 1962 Columbus Day Storm that killed dozens, injured hundreds, damaged more than fifty thousand homes, and leveled enough timber to build one million houses.

Retired Olympian columnist John Dodge will tell us about this once-in-a-generation storm that happened 60 years ago this month.

The History Pub will be in the cask library (downstairs) at the new Heritage Distilling Co. in Tumwater at 6:00 pm.
Twilight Cemetery Tour
Of eight cemeteries in Tumwater, four are located off Cleveland Avenue: Masonic Memorial Park, Odd Fellows Memorial Park, Calvary Catholic Cemetery, and Temple Beth Hatfiloh Historic Cemetery.

Thursday, October 27 at 5:00 pm we will learn the histories of these hallowed grounds, as well as stop at graves of both prominent and lesser-known individuals significant to the area and with interesting stories to tell. The tour will start in the Masonic Memorial parking lot off North Street.

Educational programming is in partnership with City of Tumwater Parks and Recreation.
From the Curator
Karen Johnson runs the Schmidt House archives—which contains the Olympia Brewing Company and Schmidt family papers—and showcases historical treasures from around the house or the house's grounds on social media.

One of those weekly stories is highlighted here.
Peter G. Schmidt (1880-1957) was a real handyman. He made lots of metal and wooden implements in his basement; this is what one of his workrooms looked like. Today, this room houses part of our collection in the Schmidt House archives.
Interested in volunteering at the Schmidt House?
All skill levels welcome. We can use help with scanning photographs, researching, general preservation of our archives, and for events. Got another idea? We'd love to hear it!
Questions? Contact us at OTF@olytumfoundation.org or 360.943.2550.