Welcome to Eatonville's first home, the T.C. Van Eaton Cabin. It was built by town founder Thomas Cobb (T.C.) Van Eaton and his cousin Nate Williams in 1889 from hand-hewn, old-growth timber. If you can imagine it, this small house was a refuge for travelers, a trading post for settlers and Indians, a post office, a store, and a stage stop - all while Van Eaton's family lived in it. The cabin originally stood near the center of Eatonville, but was moved here in 1995 by the Historical Society.
The cache: The cache was placed near the cabin with permission. Please place it back where you found it and keep it covered up. There is no need to go on the porches.
Van Eaton was born in 1862, the first white child born in Pope County, Minnesota, and the youngest of five children of a circuit-riding Methodist minister. He was well-educated for the time, having a high-school diploma, and from a young age, he dreamed of creating a town that would bear his name. Building homes seemed like a good start, and after high school, he and his brothers made a good living in construction.
At age 27, Van Eaton came west to Tacoma to realize his dream. He jumped right in the day after arriving by building a cabin across from Union Station. After six weeks, he sold it and purchased a lot at 17th and Kay Streets and built his own home. He worked several jobs but decided he could do better as an independent contractor. He worked on houses for two months until he had a desire to explore the surrounding area because he still wanted to create his own town.
His journey was rough and tedious. There were some roads but they were pretty primitive. One known road took him to Robert Fiander. Van Eaton told him about his dream of starting a town, and Fiander directed him to Indian Henry, who knew the area well. (Indian Henry has his own cache in this series, Remembering Soo-Too-Lick.)
Indian Henry led Van Eaton toward the Big Mashel River below the snow line, and Van Eaton immediately fell in love with the area and wanted to build his dream town there. He came across “Hank the Squatter” camped in the location he wanted, and paid him $50 for the rights to 160 acres of land. Van Eaton took possession on March 20, 1889, but the homestead papers were not secured until it was surveyed seven years later in 1896. During that time, Van Eaton had to be on guard so he didn’t lose his land as others tried to scare and drive him out.
Van Eaton quickly got to work. He hired men to cut roads and pack supplies into what would be known as Eatonville. The town grew but succumbed to a depression in 1892, which made it hard for the families to survive. Van Eaton was known as a kind and generous man, said to have given families food and clothing while the fathers looked for work. A dedicated public servant, he was elected to the Washington State Legislature 1893-1895 and served on the Eatonville School Board for many years.
Van Eaton had some family struggles over the years. He married three women and fathered four children. When he married for the last time in 1912, Eatonville was finally incorporated. He ran a very successful town, and died October 1951. He's buried in the Eatonville Cemetery and is remembered as a generous and unique man who saw his dream town become a reality.
2016 was the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and to celebrate, Visit Rainier and WSGA hosted the Visit Rainier Centennial GeoTour - 100 caches placed in and around Mount Rainier National Park. The geocaches highlighted the rich history, scenic wonders, quaint communities, and hidden gems of the Rainier region. Participants received geocoin and pathtag prizes for finding all the caches.
