Indigenous Pathways and the Naches Trail

The Bonney Lake plateau’s earliest known travel routes were carved by Native American tribes moving between the Cascades and Puget Sound. The Naches Trail traced their east–west crossings and later guided Hudson’s Bay Company trappers and explorers from the 1841 Wilkes United States Exploring Expedition. In 1850, the trail carried the first settler families into the area. Michael Connell and James Williamson, former soldiers at Fort Steilacoom, established cabins along the White River, while Reuben Ashford Finnell built on the banks of what is now Finnell Creek.

With Washington Territory created in 1853, the Donation Land Claim Act encouraged more families to claim land along the trail. The first wagon train attempting the still unfinished “Immigrant Road” crossed the Cascades that fall, bringing settlers who founded communities such as Longmire, Biles, Lane, Himes, and Kincaid. The Naches Trail soon pulsed with wagon traffic, turning the Indigenous pathway into a vital migration corridor.

The Medicine Creek Treaty of 1854 confined Native peoples to reservations, sparking unrest that culminated in the Puget Sound Indian War. On October 27, 1855, Michael Connell and Lt. James McAllister were ambushed at Connell’s Prairie, and further attacks followed. The Naches Trail took on a new role as the Military Road linking Fort Steilacoom to Fort Walla Walla, underscoring the plateau’s strategic importance.

Homesteads, Schools, and Community Life

William B. Kelley arrived with his family in 1864 and claimed land near Finnell’s former homestead. He and his father Nathan later served in the Washington Territorial Legislature, while William became Pierce County Auditor during the 1880s. Kelley donated land for a one-room schoolhouse, remembered by teacher Amy Johns Ryan, who kept a hatchet on her desk in 1897 for protection from wildlife while instructing the children of scattered farmsteads. The Kelley Lake School remained a community fixture until it joined neighboring districts in 1963.

Life on the plateau demanded resilience. Pioneer families weathered harsh winters, rebuilt after conflicts, and welcomed new settlers along the Naches corridor. Their stories—preserved in the Washington Pioneer Project and the writings of William P. Bonney—document the region’s transition from isolated claims to an interconnected community.

Incorporation and Postwar Growth

Bonney Lake formally took shape in 1946, when the Simmons family moved onto a 1,000-acre tract that lacked electricity, water, or paved roads. Kenneth Simmons organized neighbors to bring electricity to the plateau within months, then turned to securing a dependable water supply. Incorporation offered the path forward. On February 28, 1949, the Town of Bonney Lake incorporated with a reported population of 327 and Simmons as its first mayor—a role he would hold for three terms.

Modern services arrived rapidly. By 1950 the young town boasted streets, a municipal water system, electrical and telephone service, refuse disposal, and even a blood bank. Growth continued through the 1950s, with 12 businesses operating by 1957 and new shopping developments announced. The community debated dis-incorporation multiple times between 1942 and 1972, but the desire for local control prevailed; by 1965 the population had climbed to 1,280 residents.

Honoring William P. Bonney

The town's name honors William P. Bonney, Secretary of the Washington State Historical Society, curator of the Ferry Museum, and author of History of Pierce County, Washington (1926). Bonney championed the documentation of pioneer experiences, serving on the advisory committee for the 1938 Washington Pioneer Project and writing the foreword to its second volume, where his own family's story appears. The primary source above preserves the community's decision to commemorate his contributions.

Read More: W. P. Bonney | Told by the Pioneers, Volume II | Family History Timeline | All Articles