Pickled Willie: Small Town Folk History

The US is a big country that was colonized and settled by countless different types of people from countless different backgrounds. Many big cities across the continent were initially settled by small groups of people moving from the opposite side of the states. Many small communities were started by single families, or by a group of only 10 or 20 people before a little society was formed in a new area. Everywhere has its own little history about the Europeans who moved there and decided to make it there home, paving the way for the town or city that stands there today. There is a small town in the southwest corner of Washington state with a very unique story of this type, which has lived on since the early 1800’s. This little piece of small, local history stands out among other tales of early settlements on the West Coast of the United States. This is the story of Pickled Willie.

A group of about 200 pioneers headed west from Bethel, Missouri in the 1800’s. They were joining in with the common pursuit of a new life in a greener land to the west, so they packed up what they could and planned their trip to Washington. This group named themselves the Bethelites in homage to the hometown that they were leaving behind. This isn’t an unusual tale itself, as countless groups were making the same sort of journey toward the Pacific Ocean at this time. The Bethelites were a bit of a special group, however. What makes this group of travelers stand out among the many others is their unique leader who is now known as “Pickled Willie.”