The second town along the Nisqually River is Nisqually itself.  It is situated in the middle of an S-bend in the river

Nisqually really began in 1882 when  Ivar Hansen realized that the bend in the river would be a perfect place for a river crossing. (at the time, the only bridge was the rail bridge near the mouth of the river). He quietly bought up the land on both sides of the river from homesteaders, then turned around and mortgaged them to finance a bridge. This quickly attracted settlement and commerce to the area, and Ivar sold the land 10 years later making him one of the richest men in the state overnight. Since then, the town has continued to grow and prosper. Ivar's bridge:

Nisqually High School was built and maintained largely out of a charitable trust arranged by Hansen in his will. It is generally regarded as the best high school in the region

The school campus also features a library and pool that is open to the public, as old Ivar was very keen on fitness and self-improvement:

Like the other towns along the river, there is a small industrial fringe near the railroad:

However there is no other heavy industry in the area, with the exception of this large fertilizer plant:

A nearby farm has recently been chosen as the permament home for the Washington State Fair! Facilities are still pretty minimal at this point.

Next stop is Whitman, the final town along the river, and then probably some regional shots and information.