Olmstead Place is a charming park and working farm that offers a look into pioneer homesteading life of the 1800s. The Olmstead family, some of the first homesteaders in the Kittitas Valley, claimed the land the current park occupies in 1875 to grow grain and raise beef cattle. The land was donated to state parks almost a century later to preserve and share the three generations of family farming history and the surrounding grasslands. Today, the park’s grounds show off historical farming practices, an heirloom garden, and original settler artefacts. You get the chance to see a 1908 hay barn and five-bedroom family home, along with other cottonwood log farming structures and equipment. The Seaton Cabin Schoolhouse, where the Olmstead children went to school, is now at the park but was originally built in a meadow a few miles away. Enjoy a picnic lunch, explore the interpretive trails alongside Coleman Creek, and soak in the land's rich history during your visit to Olmstead Place. For an even deeper dive into local history, culture, and ecology, you can schedule a free interpretive tour for school or other groups in advance.
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