Tenino in Thurston County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)

Old Oregon Trail

Photographed by Shirley A Stirling, July 16, 2024

1. Old Oregon Trail 1845-53 Marker

Inscription. Old Oregon Trail
1845 - 53

Erected by Ezra Meeker.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Oregon Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1845.

Location. 46° 51.494′ N, 122° 50.963′ W. Marker is in Tenino, Washington, in Thurston County. It is at the intersection of Sussex Avenue East and Sheridan Street N on Sussex Avenue East. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 285 Sussex Ave E, Tenino WA 98589, 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 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Tenino City Hall History (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lest We Forget (approx. ¼ mile away); A History of Remembrance (approx. ¼ mile away); The Tenino Stone Company Quarry House (approx. 0.3 miles away); From Quarry to Public Pool (approx. 0.3 miles away); Oregon Trail 1844 (approx. 0.3 miles away); Great Northern Railway: Caboose Restoration (approx. 0.4 miles away); McIntosh, Washington (approx. 3.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tenino.

Also see . . . The Untold Story of Ezra Meeker’s Old Oregon Trail Monument Expedition. An excellent article highlighting

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the history behind this marker, believed to be the oldest stone marker dedicated to the Oregon Trail.

Visitors to the state capitol in Olympia usually take a moment to admire the large stone blocks that form its foundation layer. Several other government buildings on the capitol campus are similarly constructed. The stone blocks are called Tenino Sandstone and they come from a quarry in the city of that name. Sussex Avenue, Tenino’s main street, is lined with buildings made of these blocks, giving the downtown core a rather stately appearance. On the corner of Sussex Ave E. and Sheridan St. N. in Tenino is a monument carved from that same quarry stone. It reads “Old Oregon Trail 1845-53.” The stone for this marker was donated by the Tenino Quarry Company. It was dedicated by Ezra Meeker on February 21, 1906.

(Submitted on February 28, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)

Additional keywords. Ezra Meeker

Photographed by Shirley A Stirling, July 16, 2024

2. Old Oregon Trail 1845-53 Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 17, 2024, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. This page has been viewed 322 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 17, 2024, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.