This page contains two transcriptions provided by Roger Easton.

Olympia Daily Recorder Feb. 10, 1922

Below is the transcription of a copy of a manuscript written by G. N. Talcott. It first appeared in the Olympia Daily Recorder Feb. 10, 1922 “with variations. There are many, many spelling and punctuation errors, which may have made their way here, but you have the text as written. Roger Easton

Elias J. Payn
Is the Father of
PRIEST POINT PARK

Enquiring of the editor of the Daily Recorder about a newspaper picture of Mr. Payn, he informed me that they still had it in their office. It is the only good picture of Mr. Payn that exists at that period of his life that we know of, so he, the editor, kindly offers to give the cut or metal likeness of Mr. Payn to the Thurston County Pioneer and Historical Society.

I informed Mr. Lester, the editor, that Mr. Payn was the father of Priest Point Park, he then requested an article for his paper in regard of it.

Mr. Payn conceived the idea for a future city park, and called up others to consult about it. Later he wrote an article “Need of a Public Park”. This manuscript is dated August 12th, 1903, which was quite lengthy, it was published the same date in the Recorder, as I found the printed article in his scrapbook of the same date. In this article he says we shouldn’t decide at once to accept the opportunity offered by the plan proposed by Mr. T. L. Brown, by which our city could acquire Priest’s Point as a public city part of 225 acres with such a fine frontage on Budd’s Inlet, will never be presented to the city of Olympia, more than once.

Mr. T. L. Brown, was at this time in the real estate business and familiar with the conditions of this property.

Later two committees were appointed, one by the city and one by the Chamber of Commerce. The following is a copy of the final report of the committee that was appointed by the Chamber of Commerce.

“Olympia, July 9, 1917

Gentlemen of the Chamber of Commerce, after nearly two years of continuous labor your committee on Priest Point Park have accomplished the work given by your honorable body, they have secured to your beautiful city, one of the natural parks that will forever receive thanks for your foresight, not only for the present, but future generations of the citizens and strangers as well, that may come within his gates; your committee herein acknowledge with gratitude the helping hand of ex-Mayor Richardson, the former councils of the city and its park committee; they especially desire to acknowledge the enterprise and help of Messrs Byrn, Mottman and Kegley and Drum. They would be remiss on their duty did they not acknowledge the unremitting zeal of our city and county attorneys, Messer Troy and Alling, giving their loyal assistance to the committee. Gentlemen, we are thankful in securing the Park free from debt, and accomplish the task assigned to us.
Charles S. Eaton
Theo. Brown
Elias J. Payn, Chairman
Committee discharged August, 1907”

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This committee had a hard task to perform in securing this beautiful park for our city.

Mr. Payn told me many times that the committee was hampered by some of Olympia’s citizens who wished to secure these lands for speculative purposes.

The committee had to get the city to extend its limits to embrace this land that they might have the right to hold it for a city park. Finally after a little over two years from the time the Chamber of Commerce appointed this committee, the city limits were extended under Ordinance No. 868. Passed the City Council Nov. 6, 1905, and approved April 11, 1905 by P. H. Carlyon, Mayor. An article in the Recorder of June 5th, 1905, headed “City saves Priest Point lands – Judge Hanford grants permanent injunction and routs County Commissioners, and would be land grabbers.” Part of the article reads as follows:

It was the intervention of the city that won the day, and the language of the street (cleaned out) the Commissioners. Mr. Troy set up the city was a prospective bidder on the property; that it desired to secure the land for park purposes and that there was a conspiracy on the part of the board to dispose of the property regardless of the city’s interest.

Judge Hanford made the injunction permanent, much to the satisfaction of many citizens of Olympia who have taken an active part in preventing what is generally believed would have been a useless sacrifice of the valuable land for the benefit of some speculators.

The tide lands in front of the park and Mr. Payn and those who assisted him, through an act of the Legislature, granting them to the city, secured some of the neighboring properties. This act was Senate Bill No. 75, by Senator Routh and is of the session of laws of 1907, Chapter 17, page 22. The lands comprise forty acres or more, I believe.

In October 1916, the State Land Commissioner, wishing to straighten out the tide land interest in front of Priest Point Park and the neighboring lands above mentioned, wished the city to give a deed to all their tide lands to the State and the State then would deed to the city all the tide lands immediately in front of the park, through courtesy to the State, the city council was inclined favorably to make the deed to the State and take in lieu for same a deed from the State for the tide lands mentioned. The writer of this article, who was then city councilman at large, asked a stay of the proceedings until the next regular meeting of the council, and to investigate the conditions, my request was granted (this period was ten years after the Senate Bill No. 75 was enacted) in my report October 17, 1916, to the city council, it stated that the tide lands were secured for bathing, boating and frontage to the park, and when granted by the Legislators they did so with the full knowledge of their granting lands in front of adjoining properties that the city might have them, so if in the future the city saw fit to secure the adjoining uplands they would have the water frontage.

The bill provides “if the city attempts to use, use or permit the use of said lands or any portion thereof for any other purpose (meaning for park) the same shall forthwith revert to the State of Washington, without suit, action, or any proceedings whatsoever, or the judgment of any Court, forfeiting the same.” My report was long, it advised to not accept the Commissioner’s offer and request a deed from the State as through the other procedure the city would lose the lands.

The next meeting or the one the report was filed, the Senate delivered to the city a deed to all the lands provided for by the Senate and the waterfront was saved to the city.

The up-lands of the park are conveyed to the city by the U.S. Court Decree and is final in its granting to the city, and it like the Senate Bill is dangerous to the property if the city does not live up to its rulings.

G. N. Talcott

The Olympia News Golden Jubilee Edition,
(Commemorating 50 Years of Statehood) November 9, 1939

The following was transcribed by Roger Easton from The Olympia News Golden Jubilee Edition, (Commemorating 50 Years of Statehood) November 9, 1939.

“Father” of Two Olympia Projects
[Elias J. Payn]

According to G. N. Talcott, member of the pioneer firm of Talcott Brothers of Olympia, the credit for “putting over” the successful culmination of a campaign to have the city of Olympia acquire the 225-acre tract known as Priest Point Park belongs to Elias J. Payn, who has been rightly named “Father of Priest Point Park”. And it might be said here that Mr. Payn is also credited with being the “father of the Grays Harbor canal project”, for which Olympians have been fighting for some 20 years and still have every hope that the day is not far distant when it will be a reality.

Although Mr. Payn is probably entitled to not a little credit for work done in behalf of the canal project, it might be well to bring to mind that it was largely through Mr. Talcott’s efforts that the Washington state legislature was prevailed upon to make an appropriation of $50,000 to aid in promoting the campaign.

The agitation to secure the tract of land for a city park, now known as Priest point park, was started way back in 1903, but it was two years later before any definite action was taken with the city of Olympia and the chamber of commerce each appointing a committee to investigate the proposed plan. It was another two years, or in 1907, that the two committees completed their labors and reported success, this being accomplished through the help of messrs. John Byrn, George A. Mottman, T. J. Kegley and Henry Drum, assisted by P. M. Troy, then city attorney and George Alling, county attorney.

According to the report of the committee a hard task was experienced in securing the beautiful park for Olympia, inasmuch as certain citizens evidently wished to acquire the lands for speculative purposes, and according to the report, the county commissioners apparently favored the latter rather than the City of Olympia.

The matter had to be taken to court, where the trial judge granted a permanent injunction against the county commissioners disposing of the property regardless of the city’s interests.

And today Priest Point Park is affording a pleasant and comfortable gathering place for thousands of citizens and visitors during the summer season each year.visitors during the summer season each year.