Comp Plan History

"History of Tenino" - Comprehensive Plan 2004 Edition (below)

Tenino is a Nisqually Indian word meaning “meeting place” and is also the name of the dialect of the Nisqually language that was spoken here. Tenino remains a significant and natural meeting place today for all its residents and visitors. Tenino was shaped by the interaction of its people, history, and landscape. The City began as a settlement along the Oregon Trail and later became a major depot for trains traveling between Portland and Seattle. Soon after settlement, it emerged as a major source of sandstone used in building construction along the West Coast. Reminders of this rich history still exist throughout the City, particularly the fine sandstone buildings, quarry sites, trail markers and the old train depot.

Tenino is located on the historic Oregon Trail. In 1872 a railroad line from the Columbia River to Tenino’s Hodgden Street was completed. This was the closest mainline rail transportation to Olympia, which was not served by rail at that time. From the Tenino depot, two stage coaches ran daily to the capitol city.

A branch line to Olympia was completed in 1878. Sandstone quarries came after the railroads, and were a major industry in the City for several decades. In 1888, Van Tine and Fentons’ Tenino Stone Company founded the first quarry, now the site of the City pool. This development was followed by the Eureka Sandstone Company on the east side of the City and later the Hercules Stone Company on the west side of the City.

By 1912, concrete had become a widely used construction material, and the sandstone industry declined. However, the quarries operated until the 1930’s. With the hope for another source of prosperity, exploratory oil wells were drilled in and around the City in the 1940’s but these failed to produce positive results. Logging and farming later became the major employers in Tenino, and the City is still a regional trading center for south Thurston County.

Tenino is also famous for its wooden money. When the Great Depression hit in 1920, Tenino created wooden money to relieve the currency shortage. Tenino’s ingenuity became famous in an economically depressed world.

Until 1954, Highway 99, the major route through the City, was the primary north/south route between Portland and Seattle and the major transportation route for the West Coast. During that period, Tenino’s economy was oriented to tourism from the highway. With the completion of Interstate 5, the major transportation corridor was moved west of the City, and since 1954, Tenino’s ability to capture the tourist trade has diminished substantially.

During the early 1970’s, Tenino experienced rapid growth, as did the rest of the County. Since 1980, however, growth has slowed to a fraction of the growth rate of the 1970’s.

Tenino has become a bedroom community for Tumwater, Olympia and Lacey, many new residents preferring to live in a small community and commute to the larger urban area for employment and services. Because Tenino has not had a city sewer system and hopes for economic growth are on-hold until a sewer system is developed, Tenino will continue to experience slow growth, primarily residential growth. Once a sewer system is installed, the city will be able to grow and provide opportunities for commercial/retail and light industrial growth.

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This site was last updated on:  Friday, March 12, 2010 08:34 AM