The Northwest portion of what is now the United States of America was one of the last territories to be explored and settled. The influence of trappers, settlers and other white cultures took many years to gain a foothold, especially in the far reaches of the inland waters around what would eventually become Seattle.
To say that Englishman George Vancouver “discovered” the Puget Sound area in the late 1700’s is an absurd claim, because in fact there were dozens of Native American tribes inhabiting the region. Those histories are only faintly recorded, and we leave the accounts of pre-European presence in the waters, islands, and natural harbors of Puget Sound for another website and another time. The Yukon Harbor Historical Society, for now at least, will concentrate its efforts on European and American cultures in the region.
Yukon Harbor today is situated between Richie Point (top center) and Southworth ( just outside of the image, lower right) with Curley Creek feeding Puget Sound with freshwater (lower left). Colby, now a faint memory, was located half a mile north of the creek’s mouth, and South Colby is in the foreground center. Bainbridge Island is shown in the upper right corner of this veiw.
Captain Vancouver, commanding HMS Discovery, first entered the expansive channels and waterways he would eventually play a part in naming in 1792. He anchored near the Southeastern point of what is now Bainbridge Island, then spent the next few months charting Sinclair Inlet and the nearby coastlines. He and his crew met and traded with several of the native tribes, who welcomed the Englishmen.
Of course, the West Coast of the North American continent was completely untouched by whites, and the fledgling United States of America consisted of barely more than the original thirteen states and a few “territories” surrounding the Mississippi River. It wasn’t until 1841, when the United States Exploring Expedition (aka, The Wilkes Expedition) returned to the region, that any significant exploration took place. At the time, the entire region was known as Oregon Territory, and it was nothing more than a raw wilderness rich with natural resources. The Wilkes party followed Vancouver’s charts to navigate and survey the resources of the region. They labeled what is today known as Yukon Harbor “Barron’s Bay” and Blakes Island.
This, essentially, marked the start of the Oregon Territory era, when the whole of the farthest reaches of the Louisiana Purchase were one territory. That ended when local businessmen and politicians petitioned the United States government to create a separate Washington Territory in 1853. The movement toward statehood began just a few years later, but the path proved long and tumultuous. Oregon was admitted to the union in 1859, but Washington remained largely a wilderness until 1889. The result of all this is that the Western Side of Puget Sound had only scattered, informal communities and infrastructures.
Just a few years after the Wilkes Expedition surveyed the area, the gold rush boom in Northern California made the tremendous forests and ore deposits of Puget Sound an extremely valuable commodity, so local economies boomed on the coattails of the lumber industry. Dozens of mill towns — typically, reached solely by sailing ship or steamer — popped up all along the many natural harbors. These included Colby, South Colby, and Sidney.
These towns were generally fluid, following the resources while they lasted. As the thick forests were cleared, the mills — and the supporting general merchandise stores, blacksmiths, and steamship companies that supported them — moved on. The economy of these communities was tied to the natural resources, and in may cases that tie was tenuous, at best.
The Native American Tribes, meanwhile, were overtaken and overwhelmed by the Westerners. They were no match for the huge influx of homesteaders and the military presence that came with them.
From the very outset it became clear that the Puget Sound region carried more than just abundant natural resources; it had strategic military value, as well. There were many protected anchorages — hundreds, in fact — and yet the huge land masses to the West prevented any antagonist from bombarding from the open sea. Placement of a handful of forts in the main channels would make it virtually impossible to attack from the sea because any attacking force would have to “run a gauntlet” through the long narrow passages.
By 1880, efforts were underway to secure at least one major naval base here. After several failed attempts, construction of a shipbuilding facility and Navy Yard began in 1891 at Turner Point (Bremerton). It became known as the Puget Sound Naval Station. The presence of the Navy and the shipbuilding industry gave the region a permanent economic base. Beyond the small mills, mines, and fishing communities, now full-fledged cities began to develop. Port Orchard (Sidney), Manchester (Brooklyn) became established towns, taking over what Colby, South Colby and Harper had begun. Western civilization was here to stay in the Washington Territory, with statehood soon to follow.
–RN.
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