Washington Territory

The area of the present day state of Washington was originally part of the Oregon Territory, created by the Federal Government on August 14, 1848. On August 29, 1851, a group of settlers met at Cowlitz Landing (south of present-day Olympia) to petition Congress for a separate “Columbia Territory” covering the area between the Columbia River and 49th parallel. Congress approved the new territory in February 1853, though a change of name, in honor of George Washington, was proposed by Congressman Richard H. Stanton of Kentucky. Olympia became the capital of the new Washington Territory, and Isaac Stevens its first governor. The territory included northern Idaho and western Montana until President Lincoln established the Idaho Territory on March 4, 1863, leaving the boundaries as those of the current state of Washington. The residents of Washington Territory began petitioning for statehood in 1881, and Washington was admitted to the Union on November 11, 1889 as the 42nd state.

From the guide to the Washington Territory records, 1853-1890, (University of Washington Libraries Special Collections)