UPDATE: Sorry! Due to a large number of RSVPs for the event, we are now at capacity and no longer accepting registrations. Please e-mail our development team if you would like to be part of events like these in the future. 

If you live in the Olympia area, chances are you’ve driven on Ruddell Road. But do you know the history behind the Ruddell name? On Saturday, January 30, you can find out.

Come to the “Ruddell Riddle,” a free event that sheds light on one of Thurston County’s prominent pioneer families. Dozens of Ruddell family descendants have indicated they’ll attend, and we’re encouraging them to share stories and photos.

The free event will feature workshops on genealogy, using the state Digital Archives, researching your home and capturing the oral histories of your family.  Check out this story in The Olympian for more info.

It will be held in the auditorium of the General Administration Building (210 – 11th Ave.), located on the north end of the Capitol Campus.  It all starts with a pre-event reception at 9 a.m.  The bulk of the program runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by a 2:30 wreath-laying ceremony at Stephen Duley Ruddell’s grave at Pioneer Cemetery off Ruddell Road. The State Archives, State Library, Washington State Heritage Center and local genealogists are collaborating on the Ruddell Riddle.