Steve is a retired forester, having spent most of his career with the United States Forest Service. He has been a member of the Jefferson County Historical Society for over 25 years, serving as President, Board Member, and Education Committee Member. He has also been a volunteer with the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum in Tacoma doing living history interpretation. He recently coordinated the Port Townsend Victorian Festival Cemetery Tour and interpreted Judge Swan on that tour. This program is a more in-depth living history interpretation of Judge James G. Swan.
The Life and Times of Judge James G. Swan
Judge James G. Swan was a man ahead of his time. He came to the Washington coast in the 1850s and made a life as an oysterman, teacher, author, newspaper correspondent, lawyer, judge and pursued other ventures hoping to make his fortune. He was interested in the Indians and learned their language while sending artifacts to the Smithsonian Institution. While failing to make his fortune, he kept 40 years of journals and documented the Indians through language dictionaries, journals, and artifacts. He tells the story of his time on the Northwest Coast in the late 19th century.
