State Capitol monument to honor WA’s first Black pioneer, George Bush
Feb 25, 2021, 10:42 AM
Years before the Denny Party set foot at Alki Point, Washington’s first Black pioneer, George Bush, established a settlement in what would become Thurston County.
Bush’s part in Washington state history will soon be honored with a monument at the state Capitol campus in Olympia.
George Bush and his family left Missouri in the 1840s — when it was still a slavery state — because of racial persecution. They set out with a white family, the Simmons, in a wagon train on the Oregon Trail to find a more tolerant place to call home. But no sooner did they survive the grueling trip on the Oregon Trail than the Bush family once again faced racial discrimination in Oregon Country.
“Traveling across the country in the conditions of the mid-1800s, and experiencing prejudice when you arrived at your new destination — it was a hard enough journey for anybody, but especially for a person of color,” said Julianna Verboort, communications and marketing director for the Washington State Historical Society.
The Bushes and Simmons then went north, putting down roots in what is now Tumwater. Bush Prairie, their settlement, played an important role in strengthening America’s hold on Washington. At this point in time, both the United States and Britain were laying claim to the territory.
“That was a landing place for additional pioneers. … The settlement that George Bush established was really key in being able to claim this as American territory,” Verboort explained.
Although Congress passed a law that banned Black people from owning property, the territorial Legislature sought and was granted permission from the federal government for Bush to own his farm.
“He was a landowner, but when he died, he was not allowed to vote,” Verboort said.
The Bush family had a charitable spirit that helped save lives in times of need. During a famine, George and Isabella Bush shared food from their farm with other settlers so they wouldn’t go hungry. They also helped local Native American tribes through epidemics.
The couple had six sons, one of whom — William Owen Bush — became the first Black legislator in Washington in 1889, the year Washington became a state. He also helped found Washington State University.
But despite George Bush’s importance to Washington state history, his story has not received the prominence of many white historical figures.
“Many stories of people of color have not been told or have not been shared, certainly, as much as white pioneers,” Verboort said.
A sundial on the Capitol campus pays tribute to the Simmons family, but the Bushes are left off it.
“Simmons is already recognized and commemorated on the campus in that way, but Bush has not been. … I think it’s really important and overdue,” Verboort said.
Examples like this are the reason why there is an effort to make the recognition of Washington’s historical figures more equitable.
Last year, the Legislature allocated $100,000 in funding to the Washington State Historical Society for educating the public on the state’s Black history. The society, along with the newly-formed Black History Project Advisory Committee, chose to commemorate Bush and his family with a granite and brass monument.
Committee member Stephanie Johnson-Toliver, who is also president of the Black Heritage Society of Washington State, said in a statement that it is long since time to commemorate Bush at the Capitol.
“This acknowledgement is more than something we talk about or a fun fact,” Johnson-Toliver said. “There will be a significant tribute to him on the campus, a place where we can point people. We can always talk about George Bush and lift him in our conversations, but to have him and his family recognized at the state level in this way is huge.”
Some of the funding will also be used for a free Washington Black history app, to help people increase their knowledge of the part that communities of color played in Washington’s past.
If you would like to learn more about the history of the Bush family, you can attend a free seminar put on by the Washington State Historical Society and the Northwest African American Museum. The event will take place on Facebook Live at 6 p.m. on Thursday, and will also be available to view afterwards on the society’s Facebook page.
