Phoebe
Goodell Judson arrived in the Olympia/Chehalis area in the fall of
1853. Her memoirs cover the passage of about
four decades, the same four decades that Washington was a Territory.
Mrs. Judson settled finally in the Nooksack River valley, and became
a leader
in her community of Lynden, Washington.
Her story and the stories of the other first, brave settlers in the Puget
Sound area reflect the difficulty of daily life. They also reflect the
depth and strength of friendships made with the local Indians. Relationships
with the native peoples were usually positive, and often essential to survival
in this strange new land.
The remembrances and journals of these settlers give us a glimpse of their
lives and how they persevered in this new landscape.
