Squaxin Park

Squaxin Park
Priest Point Park
Squaxin Park, 2013
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Type	Municipal
Location	2600 East Bay Dr NE, Olympia, Washington
Coordinates	47°04′12″N122°53′39″W / 47.06989°N 122.89429°W / 47.06989; -122.89429
Area	314 acres (1.27 km2)
Created	1905
Etymology	Squaxin Island Tribe
Owned by	City of Olympia
Status	Open
Hiking trails	Nature trails
Habitats	Waterfront, forest
Water	Budd Inlet; Ellis Cove
Plants	Rose garden
Species	Various bird species
Parking	Parking lot
Facilities	Picnic and playground areas, bathrooms, athletic courts
Website	Official City Website

Squaxin Park is a public park located in Olympia, Washington. Established in 1905, it was the city's first waterfront park, providing access to the Budd Inlet of Puget Sound. The park was formerly known as Priest Point Park, but was renamed in 2022 after the Olympia City Council unanimously voted to change it to honor the local Squaxin Island Tribe.

History

Squaxin Park is the site of a former American Indian encampment. ^[1]

In 1848, Catholic missionaries of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate led by Father Pascal Ricard arrived in the South Puget Sound area, claiming the site as St. Joseph's of New Market. Father Ricard and three other French Canadian priests built two or three simple buildings, including a classroom and chapel, along with an orchard and garden. They operated a school for Indian boys from the local Squaxin Island Tribe. The Nisqually, Puyallup and Snoqualmie used the mission as a trading post. The mission closed in 1860, three years after Pascal left. ^[2]

After plans for a housing development fell through, in 1905 the land became a city park known as Priest Point Park and was the first waterfront recreation site in Olympia. ^[3] Volunteers labored to clear trails, install landscaping and re-erect the elaborate two-story Swiss-style chalet donated by Leopold Schmidt of the Olympia Brewery. The building first served as the brewery's pavilion at the 1903-04 Lewis and Clark Exposition in Portland, Oregon, and remained at the park until the early 1950s. ^[4]

The site was renamed in 2022 to Squaxin Park, in honor of the Squaxin Island Tribe. The Olympia City Council unanimously voted to change the moniker. ^[5]

Features

Today the park includes picnic shelters, nature trails, a large playground, basketball courts and public restrooms, as well as a mile of saltwater shoreline along the Budd Inlet of the Puget Sound. Ellis Cove juts into the park, and features a trail lining its perimeter. ^[6] There is also a formal rose garden. ^[7]

Birding at the park offers a variety of species, including the northern flicker, downy and pileated woodpeckers, red-breasted nuthatch, and brown creeper. osprey nest north of Ellis Cove, and the mudflats and rocky beach host greater yellowlegs, western and least sandpipers, and dunlin. Bald eagles and pigeon guillemot are frequently in the park as well. ^[8]

See also

• History of Olympia, Washington
• Parks and recreation in Olympia, Washington

References

1. "Thurston County Place Names: A Heritage Guide" (PDF). Thurston County Historical Commission. 1992. p. 68. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
2. "Squaxin Park". www.olympiawa.gov. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
3. Judd, R.C. (2001) Inside Out Washington: A Best Places Guide to the Outdoors. Sasquatch Books. p 25.
4. "Priest Point Park", Thurston Regional Planning Council. Retrieved 8/3/08.
5. "Priest Point Park to be renamed to honor Squaxin Island Tribe". king5.com. April 25, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
6. "Priest Point Park", ExperienceWA.com. Retrieved 8/3/08.
7. Scherer, M.M. (2005) A Cruising Guide to Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. McGraw-Hill Professional. p 21.
8. "Priest Point Park" Archived 2012-07-26 at archive.today , Black Hills Audubon Society. Retrieved 8/3/08.

External links

Media related to Priest Point Park at Wikimedia Commons