This year's community program featured stories researched and presented by Civil War Seattle's Richard Heisler with an emphasis on the PNW and Snoqualmie Valley. We know of 22 Civil War veterans who are interred at the Fall City cemetery, including John Janicke, a lawyer who was instrumental in encouraging many veterans to come to our area. A big draw to the West was the Homestead Act – Passed on May 20, 1862. The Homestead Act accelerated the settlement of the western territory by granting adult heads of families 160 acres of surveyed public land for a minimal filing fee and five years of continuous residence on that land. Many of the veterans who settled in this area were well-established in the East, and came to our area as entrepreneurs, bringing their families with them. One local employer grateful for the influx of experienced labor was the Watson Mill on Tokul Creek which provided jobs for veterans and lumber tradesmen for the building trade. The majority of veterans that came to our area arrived after the 1870s. Fifty percent of veterans joined The Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization. They became the leaders in this area.

For more stories of local Civil War Veterans, our book Jack's History of Fall City features many of the veterans interred at the Fall City cemetery, and includes photos of some.