Squak-Olney-Issaquah, 112 Years of Postal Service
By Harriet U. Fish
The colorful and touted “Pony Express” of the 1860s had its counterpart locally in Washington Territory.
A variety of riders, on their dependable mounts, carried the mail east from the shores of Lake Washington into the settlements in the foothills of the Cascades, stopping for a rest in the pioneer homes along their regular route.
In the present town of Issaquah, which had its beginnings in 1862 as Squak, Washington Territory, early settlers came and went through the rough, unsettled area, exploring, clearing, homesteading and farming on the fertile Squak Valley floor.
By May 20, 1870, there were enough families living here to warrant the establishment of a postal center to aide the carriers already “running the mail” in the arduous and repetitive journey from west to east and return. The location was a hill looking north over the open end of the valley and Squak Lake (now called Lake Sammamish), in the cabin home of William Pickering, Jr. He set up the service on a table and desk combination which is still in the possession of his Piekering descendants. Thus he became Issaquah’s first official Postmaster at the Post Office then called Squak.
Through lack of preservation of recorded fact, the identity of most of the early “mail carriers” of this route and system, have been lost to us, but one, well-remembered, had the colorful name of “Dutch Ned”-and lived by his very dependable philosophy of life. To him the first law of the land was to get Uncle Sam’s mail through. When he was asked what he did when he was sick, he firmly said: “I take no notice of it.” Such was the determination and self-control and will-power of our early pioneers.
Several local “young bucks” of the Squak area did some of the riding periodically when the need arose. Johnny Goode, whose great-grandchildren live today on the site of the original early homestead, was one who rode many a mile up to Snoqualmie Falls City and returned with the same dependability. In those days, every family had a durable horse.
In BAGLEY’S HISTORY OF WASHINGTON, he gives the mail route and timing as follows: “On horseback, carrying mail from the steamer landing east of Seattle, and leaving at 4 p.m.; going on to the Clymer Farm for the night; reaching the Pickering Post Office early the next morning; then on to the Jerry Borsks’ Post Office in Snoqualmie Prairie; and, return to Pickerings the same day; early the next a.m. on to East Seattle dock for another pick-up.”
Five years later, in July of 1875, the Squak Post Office was moved north-east across the valley to the James Bush home, where Mr. Bush took over the postal duties. But whether it stayed in this occation for the next four years is not known. What is known is that in December of the same year, John P, Adams became the Postmaster and was replaced in March of 1826 by William Dennis. This latter gentleman carried out his duties until February of 1879 when the location was again moved back to the west side of the valley into the George W. Tibbitts’s home and store, which was the way-station and traveler’s hotel for that area, a very logical location for the mail to be centered.
Here the Post Office was static for seven years until March of 1886 when the yo-yo swung again, to locate back across the valley and return to “Bushville,” where Martha Bush, daughter of James Bush, was named the female Postmaster for the next three years. (I am told, the position of Postmaster is one in which sex does not affect title or remuneration.)
Mattie (Martha) Bush, Postmaster of Squak, 1886 to 1889.
During Mattie’s very warm and reliable service, which is still alive in some older memories, the newly laid railroad tracks reached the area of her home, thus making the “over the Newcastle mountain by horse and wagon route” less used for the service into the valley.
When this growing area was incorporated into a town in February of 1889; it was named Gilman, in honor of the man who was instrumental in bringing the train for marketing the coal which was being, mined in the surrounding hills.
Unfortunately, there was already a registered Gilmer Post Office in the newly admitted State of Washington. So, for some unknown reason, the new name of this Post Office became OLNEY. Thanks to the saving ways of one local lady, the Issaquah Historical Society boasts 3 posted envelope covered addressed to Olney, King County, Washington, all postmarked in the 1892-1895 era.
Apparently, at one period, when the Post Office was called Olney, the mail distribution center and the train depot were located at the foot of Mine Hill, across the creek from the main part of the town. As the train went slowly through the intersection of Front and Mill Streets to avoid traffic of people, wagons and horses, the small fry hopped aboard and rode across the trestle-type bridge to the Post 0ffice, and backwards, as the train returned in reverse gear.
At this time George Parks became Postmaster, as the location of the Post Office moved up the finished tracks into town and nestled in the Railroad Station house. Between 1892 and 1899 two other men served as Postmasters. They were Samuel A. Bushman and Henry Hunter. Among the early post office records are preserved some mail registry and order books containing their names and signatures.
In February, 1899, the name of the town, its Railroad Stop and Post Office were officially changed to ISSAQUAH, and John Gibson, the local druggist, became the Postmaster. His pharmacy, located just behind the Depot on the east side of Front St., near the corner of Cooper St., became the center for the mail distribution. During the next 38 years, John carried the job with dispatch and had Andrew Hunter for a relief for 8 of those years. One of the most choice photographs preserved in the Issaquah Historical Society’s files is one of this period with a crowd gathered around the pot-bellied stove awaiting the mail arrival in the John Gibson store.
With Mr. Gibson’s retirement and the appointment of James R. Stephenson (Steve) to the position, the location of the Post Office was once more moved. This time, in 1937, it jumped across the street intersection to the back of the Bank Building on the northwest corner of Front and Cooper Streets. And, here it remained until 1945, when the lower level of the Masonic Temple afforded more room for this growing town.
J.R. Stephenson; “Steve,” inside the window with bars at the post office in the lower level of the Masonic Temple, sometime before 1962. The late Hilda Court is the customer on the “other side.”
With the 1940 opening of the Lake Washington Floating Bridge, and influx of people spreading out of the city, Issaquah’s growth was affected rather startlingly. So a larger space was needed.
Steve continued as Postmaster from 1937, replaced during his 3-year wartime service by Olive Gibson Bayh (neice of John Gibson) as acting postmaster. When Steve returned in 1945 he again assumed the position which he capably conducted until his retirement in 1966.
During his term the Post Office Dept. had built an official building to house the Postal Service and he supervised the move from the hand-handling of mail to a semi-automated service, from four inside employees and two route carriers, to six inside employees and three rural and city carriers. This took place in Nov., 1962.
Before this last move to locate in Issaquah’s Civic Center, the assistant postmaster, Walter S. Watkins, had been “learning the ropes” under Steve’s guidance and since 1966 he has served as Issaquah’s Postmaster. He represents the second generation native family. His parents still live in one of the oldest private residences in Issaquah. Now there are 9 inside, 2 1/2 city route, and 5 rural route employees.
Wait Watkins, contemplating the move to the new post office building in Nov., 1962. Behind him are the old sorting boxes, empty permanently.
And so, during its growth, the SQUAK-OLNEY-ISSAQUAH post office, in its 112 year history, has had 8 known locations, 14 bosses-12 men and 2 women-all POSTMASTERS.
