Greater Bonney Lake Historical Society

06/20/2026

Join us on Wednesdays between 5 - 8pm at Tunes@Tapps starting on July 8th. Talk about local history, buy a book, donate to support the Bonney Lake Museum, and lots of free stuff too!

06/19/2026

06/19/2026

06/19/2026

We are proud to announce that BLHS was recognized as a 2025-26 Jostens Renaissance School of Distinction at the Platinum Level. This prestigious honor celebrates schools that are dedicated to building a positive school culture, recognizing achievement, and fostering meaningful connections among students and staff.

Our ASB President, Waniya T, had the honor of representing our school community on stage as she accepted the award on behalf of BLHS.

In addition to receiving this recognition, our ASB Executive Team led a presentation for educators and students from across the nation. They shared how BLHS celebrates and recognizes students and staff while intentionally incorporating our POWER values into our school culture. The students did an amazing job representing BLHS!

In addition, our team heard from other schools and gained a lot of insight on ways to increase school culture. We are already looking ahead to what we can bring to the 2026-27 school year.

06/19/2026

06/13/2026

Murder by the Lake:

The Lake Tapps community of the late 1800s was not always a peaceful place to live. In fact, the feuds around the lake sometimes dwarfed the Hatfields and McCoys. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper reported, “There are a number of families about Lake Tapps that create dissensions and quarrels.” One of these feuds ended badly.

On March 16, 1894, Darwin F. Orcutt, a prominent Lake Tapps resident, shot and killed William Cushman, a local rancher aged 47, over a land ownership dispute. A friend of Cushman’s, William Russell, was also shot by Darwin’s son, Isaac Orcutt. Russell was wounded in his left hand. Both Orcutts claimed self-defense, saying Cushman was the aggressor and had shot first. But during the sheriff’s investigation, no weapons were found on Cushman. Prosecutor Snell Hedding had little choice but to charge Darwin Orcutt with murder. Isaac Orcutt wasn’t charged.

The trial got underway on November 20th, with the Honorable Judge William Pritchard presiding. Hedding pressed heavily on the only witness to the shooting. William Russell claimed that Cushman was murdered and that Orcutt “shot Cushman in the back” when he tried to run away.

The defense countered with a doctor’s report that found Cushman was not shot in the back, but in the side next to his right armpit, the arm the defense claimed held a missing revolver. Hedding then brought forward multiple witnesses who testified that they heard Orcutt threaten Cushman that he would “whip” him. One testified they heard Orcutt say, “The only way to handle him is to put a bullet through him.” In the end, the trial came down to the prosecution’s number one witness and his credibility.

The defense put on the stand seventeen witnesses to swear that Russell’s “reputation for the truth and veracity was very bad.” And that missing revolver? The defense accused Russell of removing the gun in the aftermath of the shooting. The jury decided on December 1, 1894, with a verdict of justifiable homicide.

For the families, the shooting was devastating. For the Orcutts, their good name was forever tarnished, and Cushman left behind a wife who was six months pregnant, Etta Cushman, their four sons, and one daughter.

Ironically, Cushman was the first to be buried in the new Lake Tapps graveyard, which had been donated and established by the Orcutt family. William Cushman is buried at Lake Tapps Pioneer Cemetery, located less than 1000 feet from the property he fought for.

Posted By: Mark A Hamilton, a long-time resident and a member of the Greater Bonney Lake Historical Society since 2006. [email protected]

06/06/2026

What’s in a Name? Enter the Politicians!

On Friday, June 12, 2026, at precisely 7:00 PM, the senior class of Bonney Lake High School will march into the Accesso ShoWare Center to receive their diplomas. They will wear teal and black, call themselves Panthers, and proudly look back at four years on the plateau.

But had local politicians gotten their way twenty-five years ago, these seniors would be tossing their caps as proud “Placeholders” and still looking for a mascot.

To see how Bonney Lake High School avoided this, consider its naming story, a masterclass in small-minded pettiness, municipal gridlock, and the ultimate weapon in local governance, the spite-mascot.
The Great School Impact Fee Stand-off:
It all began back in the late 1990s, when the East Pierce County plateau was experiencing a massive housing boom. Families were moving in by the thousands, and Sumner High School down in the valley was bursting at the seams. The Sumner School District desperately needed a second high school up the hill to handle the overflow.

The taxpayers generously passed a $44 million bond to build the new high school. However, new housing developments within Bonney Lake city limits were expected to fill the schools quickly, and the funding gap for new classrooms remained unresolved.

The school district approached the Bonney Lake City Council, requesting that developers pay residential school impact fees to help fund the new classrooms. People on the hill pushed back, asking, "What are you going to do with the $44 million we just passed?" The City Council refused to introduce the fees, intensifying the funding dispute.
The Sumner School Board Strikes Back:
Angry at the city's refusal to help fund growth, the school board chose a passive-aggressive strategy. They refused to name the new facility after Bonney Lake.

For months, the rumor mill was that the district called the multimillion-dollar project the exhilarating "High School Number 2." Jokes around the table at my local watering hole flew. Would the football team be called "the Placeholders" with “Place Mascot Here” on their helmets? Imagine the excitement with a stadium full of football fans and the announcer calls out! "The Placeholders take the field! Touchdown, Placeholders!" All of us around the table were Sumner Grads and proud Spartans. We saw it for what it really was, a p*ssing match between two local politicians, Bonney Lake’s Mayor Bob Young and the Sumner School Board president, Tony Froehling.

Ultimately, after intense debate, a 4–1 vote gave the school the Bonney Lake name. The Sumner School Board decided not to penalize students with a generic title just because of the city hall's earlier decisions. Froehling was the only “No” vote. Years later, after Mayor Young was gone, the City Council unanimously approved a School Impact Fee on development.
Cheers to the Panthers:
When the Class of 2026 graduates later this month, they can take pride in their identity and accomplishments. They are Panthers from Bonney Lake, not students from some generic "Plateau High School," which was another name rumored to be considered by the school board. Their diplomas will bear the name of their city: Bonney Lake. Sometimes the real victory is common sense. A High School's name should match the community it serves.

Posted By: Mark A Hamilton, a long-time resident and a member of the Greater Bonney Lake Historical Society since 2006. [email protected]