Phoebe Judson

Who was Phoebe Judson?

Phoebe Goodell Judson was an American pioneer and author. Along with her husband, Holden Judson, she founded the city of Lynden, Washington. In 1886 she started the Northwest Normal School, which would become Western Washington University.

Judson kept a diary of her experiences following March 1, 1853, which she later abridged and rewrote into A Pioneer's Search for an Ideal Home: A Personal Memoir, published shortly before her death.

Because of the large role she played during the 1870s through 1890s in the development of the Nooksack Valley, she is often referred to as the "Mother of Lynden".