History of the Society.

Prior to 1890, the Rainier Valley community consisted of just a few homesteaders with farms. And then came the idea to develop the land. Two land speculators, Percy Rochester and John Wiley, filed a plat in August of 1891. Local land salesman E.K Edmiston was also a promoter of the streetcar line that was to serve the Rainier Valley with transportation to and from downtown Seattle.

In early 1891 the streetcar line was completed to the Columbia City area and the developers proceeded to promote their lots for sale. The price advertised was $300 ­ $10 down and a dollar a week for 300 weeks, with no interest. On opening day the prospective buyers arrived by streetcars or walked along the wagon road over Beacon Hill. To handle the expected crowds, flat bed railcars, with chairs for seating, were attached to the trolleys. A sign was attached to the flat cars that read "Watch Columbia Grow."

Those first buyers of lots in Columbia started building their homes right away. Soon came a town hall that served as a school and church until those buildings were built. While the second floor and roof of the Columbia School were still under construction, children filed into the first floor to attend lessons. After a year in their new town, those residents, strangers at first, became close friends and assembled in April of 1892 to celebrate their first anniversary. The group became known as the Pioneers of Columbia City.

Columbia continued to grow at a fast pace as a residential community. The streetcar line was extended to Rainier Beach the next year and then on to Renton. It became the longest interurban line in the state and the streetcars would attain the incredible speed of fifty miles per hour along the lakeshore south of Rainier Beach.

In 1893 the town of Columbia decided to incorporate as a town of the fourth class in Washington State. With their incorporation, Columbia elected a mayor, city council, a city clerk, a judge and a town marshal. They proceeded to establish all the ordinances and regulations needed by a growing town. One of their first ordinances was a ban on any saloons within the city limits. As the town grew, so did the membership in the Pioneers of Columbia City. Membership numbers at their height reached 500.

Over the years, certain membership requirements were instituted for the evolving society. In the 1970's the requirement was having lived in the Valley for a minimum of 50 years, or being a descendent of one of the early pioneers. The words "and Vicinity" were tagged on to the organization's name as membership grew to represent all of the Rainier Valley.

Twenty years later, with a declining membership of mostly second generation pioneers, the board decided to disband since no one wanted to assume the presidency. Buzz Anderson, the current president, spent that summer haunted by the fate of over a thousand photographs and boxes full of printed material they had been collecting since the turn of the century. What would happen to these archives?

There was too much personal history at stake to let the Pioneers of Columbia City die out. Buzz's grandfather, Will Brown, had purchased the first lot on that April day in 1891, and his great-grandfather had been the first marshal in the town. So Buzz ran an article in the local paper calling all those interested in reviving the "Pioneers" to attend a meeting the following week. With the expectation that maybe 10 or 15 people would show up, the meeting drew a crowd of about 75 people. The changes necessary for revival began that night. They decided to open up the membership to everyone, changed the name to "The Rainier Valley Historical Society" to represent all of Rainier Valley, and reelected Buzz as president.

Since 1993 the Society has more than tripled its archives, moved into a fully equipped office with secure storage and public exhibit space, and expanded to 350 members. Their endowment fund, established in 1998, is now worth $96,000.00. They have hired a part time director, Mikala Woodward, the first employee in their 110 year history. The Historical Society publishes a quarterly newsletter for its members and friends locally as well as all over the country and presents slide shows at the local schools and other organizations passing on the history and enthusiasm to future generations. Ten generous volunteers help with the ever-growing task of cataloging the collection and managing the organization. The Historical Society continues to collect Rainier Valley historical material at the rate of over one hundred donations per year.