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Alvin Percy Carroll was born July 18, 1889 in Rockwood, Ontario, Canada. In 1930 Carroll moved to Bremerton,Washington where he bought and sold land. He soon began a non profit, Olympicans Inc. in May of 1933, promoting the beauty, tourism and well-being of Washington state. Their activities included advocating for the construction of scenic drives along Washington's coast lines, fostering and developing winter sports and hunting in the Olympic Mountains and preserving the natural beauty of the Olympic Penninsula.

In 1947 Carroll started the Puget Sounders, a decendant of the Olympicans Inc., that offered bus and boat tours for tourists, organized a state wide program to plant one million rhododendrons as well as other Washington state promotional activities. This included among other things, bringing Torchy Peden, a cycling champion, to the Pacific Northwest to test the Olympic Loop as a potential bike racing venue, assisting with the removal of fishing traps from Puget Sound waters and working towards an international salmon treaty with Canada. Carroll also gained public support and contacted local politcians for better roads, bridges and ferry services. Genevieve, Carrol's wife, was his assistant with much of his Puget Sounder's work. Carroll was considered a "one man chamber of commerce" and had offices in the Olympic National Building at 920 Second Avenue, Seattle, Washington. He died in August 1973.