Phoebe Judson

Phoebe Judson

Phoebe Goodell Judson (October 25, 1831 – January 16, 1926; sometimes called Phoebe Newton 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 (the day she and her family left for Washington Territory), 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 (including giving Lynden its name), she is often referred to as the "Mother of Lynden".