In the 168 years since Dec. 22, 1852, when it was officially incorporated and later named for then-U.S. president Franklin Pierce, Pierce County has grown in population to about 900,000, spawned cities and towns ranging from Gig Harbor and Tacoma to Puyallup and Eatonville, and become known nationally as the home of Mount Rainier and as the launching place for businesses such as Weyerhaeuser. “Images of America: Pierce County” (Arcadia Publishing), a 128-page history written by longtime resident Donald Tjossem, chronicles the county’s old days in words and photos.