A-Z History of Sumner, Washington - Place Names Provided in part by Daffodil Valley Times and the City of Sumner.

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Place Names The Stuck River (now the White River) derived its name from the Indian "Stuch Um" meaning big fish. Historic Sumner Walking Tour Guide describes how Sumner got it's name: The village was first called "Stuck Junction" and later "Franklin". A local resident J. P. Stewart was instrumental in establishing a post office serving the area now governed by Puyallup and Sumner, and he named the area "Franklin" after his hometown of New York State When the nearby post office relocated another one was needed in Sumner. The new post office was located at the Ryan’s home with Mrs. Ryan as the first postmistress. The U. S. Postal Department requested a new name for the post office since there were so many places named Franklin and delivering mail became confusing. Three townsmen, John Foundation, Kincaid, L.F. Thompson, and George Ryan could not agree on a name, and each placed in a hat. A boy was called into the store to pick one of the slips and it came out "Sumner". Charles Sumner was a Senator from Vermont and a popular statesman of the 19th century known for his efforts toward the abolition of slavery… He was also with President Abraham Lincoln at the Ford Theater in Washington, DC when Lincoln was assassinated. Senator Sumner cradled Lincoln’s head and held his hand until he died. Previous Page | Next Page List of cited resources Information on these pages is provided in part by Daffodil Valley Times Staff and The City of Sumner, Wa.

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Main History page | Puyallup History | Sumner History |The Puyallup Indians | The Puyallup Fair | Read more about Ezra Meeker | Read more about William Kincaid |Why Daffodil Valley? | History of the Daffodil Festival | Indian War of 1855
All historical information has been compiled through the hard work and diligence of the Daffodil Valley Times staff. Anyone may copy this information for private or public use provided links are given to Daffodil Valley Times (http://www.daffodilvalleytimes.com) and full credit is given to Daffodil Valley Times. Thank you!