Thurston County is said to be haunted

Ira Wesley Kitmacher

As we approach Halloween, I'd like to focus on parts of Thurston County's history (past events, including political, military and others) and folklore (stories of hauntings, mysteries and others passed down that many people believe, although there may not be scientific proof) with a little bit of a scary take! In this column I’ll discuss the Oregon Trail, which helped turn our area into what it is today.  

Trivia question: Where does the northern-most spur of the Oregon Trail end? Answer: Here, in Thurston County — specifically in Olympia’s Sylvester Park. The Oregon Trail is said to be haunted!  

More than 300,000 immigrants traveled from the 1840s to the 1860s from the Midwest to the West. They traveled in search of new opportunities, inexpensive land, and to escape economic hardships in the East. A big incentive was the Oregon Donation Land Act of 1850 (Washington was part of the Oregon Territory until 1853), which granted 320 acres of free land to unmarried white male citizens and 640 acres to married couples who settled in the territory. 

Another motivating factor for westward expansion was the idea of “Manifest Destiny,” the 19th century belief that the land from the Atlantic to the Pacific belonged to and should be settled by the United States. Of course, that attitude overlooked the indigenous peoples who had lived in North America for perhaps 10,000 or more years. In one of America’s saddest chapters, 65-95% of Native Americans were displaced and died in the 1800s by wars and the diseases settlers brought with them to which Native Americans had no immunity. 

America’s first expansion to the West took place from 1804-1806 when President Thomas Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and the Corps of Discovery (Sacagawea joined shortly after the expedition began) to the Pacific Northwest (in part to search for the Northwest Passage, the hoped for water trade route extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific). The passage wasn’t found because it doesn’t exist across North America; rather the Arctic route was discovered in 1906 by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.    

Ten percent, or 30,000 of the 300,000 immigrants who traveled the Oregon Trail, lost their lives (from disease, accidents and other causes). It is said there are 10 grave markers per mile along the trail.

People died from smallpox, measles, and other illnesses. Wagon accidents were too common, with people falling off or being crushed. River crossings were dangerous. Settlers accidentally shot themselves and others, as it was the first time many owned firearms. Stampedes of domestic animals and bison caused deaths.

Finally, the harsh environment, including heat, storms, snow and other natural dangers killed settlers. The number of settlers killed by Native American attacks were relatively few.  

Due to the high number of deaths and other trauma taking place on the Oregon Trail, many ghost stories have been generated. Ghosts are said to be disembodied spirits that have not passed on, that may have unfinished business, died traumatic deaths, or for some other reason remain in the world of the living.

They are thought to take many forms, including cold spots, disembodied footsteps and voices, electrical disturbances, full body apparitions (look like living people but tend to be translucent or semitransparent), ectoplasm (mist), ghost ships and other inanimate objects controlled by the dead, orbs (balls of light), poltergeists (German for “noisy ghosts”), shadows, and others.

Ghost stories are found in battlefields and forts, cemeteries, government buildings, hotels, hospitals, houses, prisons, schools, theaters, and other places like the Oregon Trail. In recent nationwide surveys, approximately 40% of adult Americans say they believe in ghosts. 

Getting back to the earlier trivia question, the evidence of the northern-most spur of the Oregon Trail ending in Olympia’s Sylvester Park is present in the form of a granite boulder in the northwestern corner of the park. On the boulder is a bronze plaque placed in 1913 by the Daughters of the American Revolution, Sacagawea Chapter, that reads “Marking the End of the Oregon Trail 1844.”

Like much of the Oregon Trail, some say ghosts are present in the park (and in adjacent buildings—topics for future articles!).  If it is haunted, in addition to being part of the Oregon Trail, it could be due to the park having been the location of the U.S. military’s Olympia Stockade in the 1850s during the Puget Sound War with Native Salish tribes, led by Chiefs Leschi (executed in 1858 in Steilacoom, itself said to be haunted) and Quiemuth (who was murdered in 1856 by unknown assassins in Governor Isaac Stevens’ office in Olympia).

Further, traumatized Olympia residents fled to the Stockade when a Native American attack was rumored in 1856. The final reason it could be haunted is the legend that Chief Leschi was held captive in the park (some claim this occurred, others dispute it) in a blockhouse before being moved to Steilacoom.

He was sentenced to hang in a trial held in Thurston County for allegedly murdering Colonel Abraham Benton Moses in a skirmish. Leschi’s name was cleared and he was exonerated of murder by a Washington Historical Court in 2004, as he was deemed a lawful military combatant during war.          

Thurston County is home to many fascinating historical and folkloric tales! It is critical that we remember these events and stories. I have discovered 30 county locations with reported hauntings, in addition to cryptids, and other strange tales. Please watch for these in future columns.

Ira Wesley Kitmacher is a local historian and author, writing nationally and internationally published books, “Haunted Puget Sound,” “Pacific Northwest Legends and Lore,” “Spirits Along the Columbia River,” “Monsters and Miracles,” “Haunted Graveyard of the Pacific,” and two upcoming 2026 books.

His publisher has adapted two of his works into children’s books. Ira leads Olympia history and folklore tours based on his books. He is a frequent public speaker at McMenamins “History Pubs,” book events, museums, conferences, and other venues. He was featured in the 2024 and 2023 Seattle 13 News televised Halloween specials, in magazines, newspapers and other media.

Ira is a Commissioner on the Thurston County Historic Commission, and a member of The Historical Writers Association. He also served as a professor of graduate courses at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and Portland State University in Oregon, and undergraduate courses at other colleges. Ira is a retired senior federal executive and attorney.