Elsie Olmstead

If you are wondering about Elsie aka Elise Olmstead, wife of rumrunner Roy Olmstead, I’m your girl. I was startled to find out that after I obsessed over her during the pandemic that I am now the local expert on this extraordinary woman. I am always happy to talk about the Olmstead, especially Elsie, and am working on a couple projects featuring this British bombshell.

Talks given about Elsie:

Recommended Resources on the Olmsteads

  • Elise Olmstead – Albert Gidari published this book after using my research as a jumping off point to dig into some of the details that I did not have the time or money to pursue. I’m so grateful to him for clearing up some of the mysteries surrounding Elsie!
  • Whispering Wires – This is an in depth look at the court case that made the Olmsteads famous. Roy was the first person to be federally convicted on wire tapping evidence and he pursued it all the way to the Supreme Court.
  • Seattle Prohibition – This book by Brad Holden is an excellent overview of exactly what the title says, Seattle Prohibition.
  • Seattle Mystic Al Hubbard – Another book by Brad Holden specifically on Al Hubbard, one of the Olmstead employees.
  • Seattle’s branch of the Federal Archives – I spent a decent chunk of the pandemic buried in the stacks at the Federal Archive reading 100 year old court transcripts about the Olmstead and it was an amazing experience.
  • The Seattle Room at Seattle Central Library – This incredible repository of Seattle specific history is amazingly fun to dig through.
  • Museum of History and Industry Archive – This extensive photo archive covers a large chunk of history in the Pacific Northwest, all accessible online!