1959 Map of Spanaway

About this map

Spanaway Lake sits at the heart of this landscape, its western shores bordering the expansive Mc Chord Air Force Base. The transition from military installation to civilian settlement is marked by the growing residential patterns of Spanaway and the surrounding agricultural tracts. To the south, the Thirteenth Division Prairie remains largely open, reflecting a landscape still defined by its glacial origins and early pioneer claims. Genealogists will find interest in localized burial sites like Jeschke Cemetery and Henry Smith Cemetery, which predate the denser suburban expansion shown in later purple revisions. Educational and social hubs of the late 1950s, such as the Mary Mount Military Academy and Brookdale Golf Club, provide a window into the community's mid-century character before the rapid development of the south Puget Sound corridor.