Steilacoom Boulevard in Lakewood Was First Official Road in the State

Lakewood drivers commute on it daily without knowing the history of Steilacoom Boulevard. It was the first official road in Washington, known as the Byrd Mill Road many years ago. It was a major road of commerce then as it is today.

The road that is now much of Steilacoom Boulevard was first named the Byrd Mill Road, after Andrew Byrd, a native of Ohio. He had established a sawmill and grist mill on Chambers Creek during the early 1850s. It was located around the current Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Game Farm along Phillips Road. It was a major hub on the day it opened.

Farmers from around Pierce County lacked access to markets about 150 years ago. They needed a way to turn their crops to flour and timber for shipment to buyers in California. They used the narrow, twisting roadway straight from the Puyallup Valley to Byrd’s mill. In 1852, the Oregon Territorial Legislature declared Byrd’s Mill Road the first official road in Washington state.

While the road served as an important bridge from farms to commerce during the pioneer era, it was only wide enough for a single wagon. But it did the job. It was, after all, the only road connecting the fields to the port operations in Steilacoom. The Washington Territorial Legislature also established Byrd Mill Road as a military road in 1854, one year after Washington separated from the Oregon Territory. This action widened and improved the road just in case soldiers needed quick access from nearby Fort Steilacoom to settlements around Puget Sound. That time came in 1855. Byrd Mill Road served as an evacuation route for settlers seeking refuge at Fort Steilacoom during the Indian Wars as well as a road for military supplies to fuel the war effort.

Steilacoom Boulevard is the main East-West route through Lakewood to this day. Other main arterial routes within the city are Gravelly Lake Drive and Bridgeport Way. Those roads started out as branches of the Byrd Mill Road. By providing street access, businesses were allowed to develop along the road to service their needs and resupply their farms.

The road's importance grew along with the area. What was later recommissioned Steilacoom Boulevard, it continues to serve a vital role in the city's infrastructure.