Steilacoom was one of the earliest non-Native communities in the future Evergreen State. It was founded only six years after the first Oregon Trail emigrants arrived on Puget Sound, and it swiftly rose to prominence as a center of social and commercial activity. After the railroad bypassed Steilacoom in 1873, the towns early importance began to wane. Steilacoom was established by the territorial legislature and served as the county's initial seat of government for a short period of time. 
Steilacoom has persisted primarily as a vacation resort for visitors from larger towns and, later, as a bedroom community for residents of adjacent urban regions, according to historians. Residents have embraced the town's past in recent decades, participating in preservation efforts and hosting community activities that emphasize the town's significance in the Evergreen State's history.
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