Joseph Foster: Tukwila Founder

Joseph Foster was one of the first non-Native settlers in the Tukwila area of Washington. He was a pioneer from Ohio who staked a claim on the Duwamish River in 1852, at a place called Mox la Push by the local Indians¹ . He served as an early Washington Territorial legislator, the first superintendent of schools, and a well-respected local leader² . He also gave his name to the community of Foster, which was later annexed by Tukwila in 1989¹. His homestead was located at the present-day site of the Foster Links Golf Course³.

Plaque on a large maple tree outside the Foster Golf Course

Also see Waymarking

The maple tree planted by Joseph Foster in 1873

and at the nearby riverbank, another plaque honoring the landing where flat-bottom boats would come.

Foster Landing

Indian Wars

Puget Sound War

The Puget Sound War was an armed conflict that took place in the Puget Sound area of the state of Washington in 1855–56, between the United States military, local militias and members of the Native American tribes of the Nisqually, Muckleshoot, Puyallup, and Klickitat.

Footnotes

1. Tukwila History - City of Tukwila. https://www.tukwilawa.gov/visitors/about-tukwila/tukwila-history/

2. Duwamish Gardens (Ray-Carrossino Farmstead) https://www.historylink.org/File/20494

3. Foster, Washington - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foster,_Washington