Olympia in Thurston County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)
Putting down roots
The Bush family settles in Washington Territory
Photographed by Benjamin Helle, circa 2022
1. Putting down roots Marker
Black pioneer George Bush (c.1790-1863) helped establish the first non-Indigenous American settlement in Washington. George, his wife Isabella and others traveled the Oregon Trail to escape discrimination and prejudice in Missouri, only to arrive in the Oregon Country to find that newly adopted racist laws prohibited Black settlers. Continuing north of the Columbia River, they established a farm called Bush Prairie near today's Tumwater. The Bush family was known to be generous and welcoming, and are credited with saving the lives of fellow settlers with food from their farm during the famine of 1852. This first settlement drew other pioneers and furthered the claim of this area by the United States. In 1850, the U.S. Congress passed the Donation Land Claim Act which excluded people of African descent from making land claims. The Washington Territorial legislature successfully petitioned Congress to grant the Bush family the right to retain ownership of their farm. Bush died a landowner but still not allowed to vote. His son, William Owen Bush, served in the first Washington State Legislature (1889-1890) and helped found Washington State University. From their home in Missouri, the Bush family brought root stock to cultivate at Bush Prairie; a nut from one of those century-old trees grew into a sapling that was rooted on this
this page online
Erected 2021.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Agriculture • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1852.
Location. 47° 2.237′ N, 122° 54.154′ W. Marker is in Olympia, Washington, in Thurston County. It can be reached from Capitol Way South. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1199 Capitol Way South, Olympia WA 98501, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Puget Sound Region and in Greater Seattle. It is also on the American Pacific Coast, in the Pacific Northwest, and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, in the Inside Passage, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The First William Winlock Miller High School (within shouting distance of this marker); POW AND MIA Monument (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Sequoia Tree (about 300 feet away); An Olmsted Legacy (about 300 feet away); The Medal of Honor Monument (about 300 feet away); To the memories of the citizens of the State of Washington (about 300 feet away); Washington's State Capitol Design (about 400 feet away); Home site of the first Territorial Governor of Washington (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Olympia.
Also see . . .
1. George Bush. National Park Service website entry (Submitted on October 9, 2023.)
2. Unveiling marker honoring Black pioneer George Bush and his family. Washington State Department of Enterprise Services website entry:
November 2021 press release about the marker
Excerpt:(Submitted on October 9, 2023.)The granite and bronze monument commemorates pioneer George Bush, the first Black pioneer in Washington Territory, and his son William Owen Bush, who served in the first Washington State legislature. George Bush and his family settled near what is now Tumwater, and helped the U.S. establish a claim to this territory.via NPS, unknown2. George Bush
The monuments location on the capitol grounds is near a living feature that also marks the family's heritage. When the Bush party left Missouri to migrate west, they brought root stock to establish trees in their new home. From one of those trees, now more than a century old, a nut was cultivated, and was planted on the Capitol Campus in 2010. The Bush monument is located on the lawn south of the General Administration and Helen Sommers buildings in view of the Bush Butternut Tree.
Photographed by Benjamin Helle, circa Feb 2021
3. At the dedication: Eric pettigrew, Stephanie Johnson, Jennifer Kilmer
Eric Pettigrew, former member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing the 37th district from 2003 to 2021; Stephanie Johnson-Toliver, President at the Black Heritage Society of Washington State; and Jennifer Kilmer, Director, Washington State Historical Society.
Photographed by Shirley A Stirling, October 17, 2023
4. Putting down roots Marker
Photographed by Benjamin Helle
5. Bush Butternut tree planted from a seed of the 1845 tree.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 23, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 9, 2023, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. This page has been viewed 259 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 9, 2023, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. 2. submitted on December 23, 2023, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 3. submitted on October 10, 2023, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. 4. submitted on October 17, 2023, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. 5. submitted on October 10, 2023, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
