Levi Lathrop Smith
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Levi Lathrop Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 6, year unknown[1] |
| Died | August 30, 1848[2] |
| Occupation | Pioneer |
| Known for | Original settler of present-day Olympia, Washington |
Levi Lathrop Smith was an Oregon Territory original settler of present-day Olympia, Washington, arriving with Edmund Sylvester in 1846.[5] Smith died of drowning in 1848,[4] shortly after being elected to the Oregon Territorial Legislature, passing his property claim to Sylvester.[6]
Smith was born on March 6[1] in New York State. He was a Presbyterian divinity student.[7] He later emigrated to Wisconsin[8] where he became "attached to a half-caste girl, a catholic [sic]. To marry under these circumstances would be a violation of rule, and he made another to remove to Oregon."[9]
Smith and Sylvester arrived in Newmarket, Oregon[a] in October 1846. On October 20, Smith took claim to the land next to Budd Inlet, while Sylvester claimed Chambers Prairie.[10]
In 1847, Smith built the first cabin near the shore, naming the establishment Smithfield;[11] it was approximately 16 square feet (1.5 m2), located near present-day Capitol Way between State and Olympia Avenues.[1] Smith's cabin was modest: made of split cedar wood, with a chimneyed stone fireplace, one door, three windows, and single room partition. The surrounding 2 acres (8,100 m2) were enclosed for farming vegetables and raising livestock.[8]
On June 5, 1848, Smith was elected to the Oregon Territorial Legislature to represent Lewis County[1][12] but did not live to take his seat.[13]
On August 30, 1848,[2] Smith suffered an epileptic fit while canoeing near Newmarket[a] and drowned.[4][15] Epilepsy had previously affected his health.[3][9][16] Sylvester, as the surviving member of the partnership, abandoned his claim for Smith's land.[10] Smith's final journal entry is dated August 29, 1848.[1]
Works
- Smith, Levi Lathrop (1952). Tanis, James Robert (ed.). "The Journal of Levi Lathrop Smith 1847-1848". The Pacific Northwest Quarterly. 43 (4). University of Washington: 277–301. ASIN B00KJ143I0. ISSN 0030-8803. JSTOR 40487847. OCLC 28197676. Digital facsimile (PDF), retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Olympia Historical Society