5,700 YEARS AGO, SHELLS ON THE BLUFF was just part of the thriving activity here in what would later be called DuPont, Washington. While little information is known of the time and people back then, it was in the late 1970′s that would uncover a shell midden 5,700 – 1,400 years old making it the oldest shell midden site discovered in the South Puget Sound. Major excavations were never done as a result of the request of the Nisqually Tribe, the area was covered and preserved as to not disturb sacred ground. While this could unlock many questions to the prehistoric existence of the area, it will be one of the many great secrets still unlocked in our small town.

In 1792 with Captain George Vancouver and his expedition he gave the name “Puget’s Sound” to the area that was believed to be scouted by Peter Puget, who later became an Admiral. Vancouver was pleased with Puget’s work, therefore conferring the name of the lower area in his namesake. Today the name is used for the waters South as well as North of the Tacoma Narrows. The Hudson’s Bay Company wanted to branch out and in 1824 they established Fort Vancouver nestled along the North side of the Columbia River.
The idea was simple to control the area North of the Columbia as they had already been controlling what is now Canada. The HBC discouraged settling in the Oregon Territory as they didn’t want to impact the relations with the Native people of the territory, and the fur trade business was very lucrative. In today’s terms, they wanted to have the monopoly on the market and be the Indians first and only choice, the phrase “Where Do You Want To Trade Today?” comes to mind from a famous software company.
Even some tribes preferred an *Open Source* solution and by 1828 the HBC witnessed their first Indian attack. That probably wasn’t the main reason but it was then that HBC wanted another station or post near Puget’s Sound in order to beef up their presence. This also allowed for somewhat of an I-5 of the times from Vancouver to Nisqually and then allowed shipments to Fort Langley which was already in use and built ca. 1827. 1832 introduced to us Chief Trader Archibald McDonald, who in November selected the site for the new post and under orders of McCloughlin, stopped during that spring with 8 or 9 men and spent about 12 days building a small storehouse around 15 x 20 feet in size near the mouth of the Sequalitchew Creek.

Before he departs he leaves Pierre Charles, Ouvre and other hand in charge and for them to continue their work. McDonald refers to it as Nisqually House. In their care they had a few blankets, kegs of potatoes & some garden seeds. This would also serve as the first house/cabin to be built by white men on Puget Sound. On May 17, 1833 McDonald asks Dr. William F. Tolmie whom he met at Fort Vancouver that he should come by land back to Nisqually on Puget’s Sound. McDonald believes the trip will take 8 or ten days and offers Tolmie the opportunity to botanize and collect birds along the way. Dr. W.F. Tolmie was a Physician and surgeon and soon to be Fur-Trader.

Around 11:30 AM on May 18, 1833 McDonald, Tolmie and four Kanakas depart Fort Vancouver and head onward to Nisqually. Thursday, May 30 1833 McDonald, Tolmie and Crew arrived at Nisqually. The trip took a total of 14 days and consisted of an additional four men, four oxen and four horses with whom they met up with outside of Nisqually as that group left a few days earlier destined for the Fort. Upon arrival McDonald shows Tolmie the proposed location of the Fort & Farm. This would be up on the prairie south of Sequalitchew Creek and east of Puget Sound. On this date McDonald also begins the “Journal of Occurrences at Nisqually House” like all factors and traders of stations and forts within the HBC detailed journals are part of the everyday ritual.


These journals serve as one of the primary sources for the history of Nisqually. McDonald didn’t stay long at Nisqually as he was coming to the age of retirement and in June was being replaced by Chief Trader C.F. Heron while McDonald then headed back to Fort Colville. During the first years of Fort Nisqually the Indians received their first teachings of Christianity from the HBC employees on Sundays. This was accounted in the Journal of Occurrences as the Indians were told there would be no trading on Sunday. At the same time the first man made road in Puget Sound was built. The road was referred to as Ox or Oxen Road and was existed from the Nisqually Beach and up to the 1833 Fort. This helped for transporting goods up and down from the Fort to the bay to where the ships would be anchored.

Then in 1837 the first steamship in the Pacific Northwest makes its appearance in Puget Sound. The S.S. Beaver was 101 feet long with a depth of 11 ½ feet. It was armed with 5 nine-pound guns and carried a total crew size of 26. She was captained by Captain Home until her arrival at Fort Vancouver. Home retired to one of the company’s posts. Captain W.H. McNeil took his position in the wheelhouse and took over the vessel. Captain Home perished a year later crossing the Columbia River. In ca. 1838 the Reverend Jason Lee from the Methodist Church arrives in Nisqually and meets with Tribal Leaders about settling a mission at Nisqually.
Sketch of Nisqually Station ca. 1870 Edmund Coleman


Shortly afterwards in 1839 Rev. David Leslie and William H. Willson arrived to start construction on the new Methodist Mission that was believed to be suggested as a suitable site north of the small river by James Douglas during Rev. Lee’s visit. Leslie will remain only a few days according to the HBC Journals but Willson will stay and continue his work. In 1840 the Rev. J.P. Richmond, wife America Richmond and his Children arrived to serve at the mission along with Ms. Chloe Aurelia Clark. It should be noted at this time was the first settling of Americans in the area. Infact Ms. Chloe Clark and W. Willson were married by Richmond and serve as the First Full White Blood Couple Wedding North of the Columbia River.

The mission turned out to be a failure due to various reasons but in 1842 the mission was abandoned and supposedly burned to the ground by the Natives. The mission site today is marked by a 1927 Marker placed by the DuPont Co., however, the marker was moved at one time and whether it was put back in the correct spot remains a mystery. Lt. Wilkes arrives during May of 1842 and on May 11, made Fort Nisqually the headquarters for the expedition. He built the Wilkes Observatory which is marked on the South side of the creek west of the 1833 site in 1927 by the DuPont Co. & locating party. On July 5, 1841 upon his arrival back to headquarters from various expeditions of not only sea and water but land as well he held the first ever fourth of July Celebration on the west coast and is believed to be the first one in the Western United States. While the location had been deemed a location between Lake Sequalitchew and American Lake historical records also say it was on the plains of the Methodist Mission site which we know to be located or believe to be known ½ mile from Puget Sound and ½ mile from the 1833 Fort Nisqually.
There is speculation at this time Wilkes names “American” Lake after “America Richmond” J.P. Richmond’s wife. It’s also said that the name was given to the lake as “American” due to the festivies and the American Celebration. Beginning in 1843 Fort Nisqually would undergo a series of moves that would continue on for the next few years as the old f ort site was moved east and along the bank of the Sequalitchew Creek which is South of Edmonds Village. During the construction phase the old fort was still used for a number of years for dwelling purposes until the final move was completed. The move was part in conjunction with the formation of the Puget Sound Agricultural Company in 1839-1840. Make no mistake this was actually the Hudson’s Bay Company as the directors and share holders were all fur traders.

Map of the Puget Sound Agricultural Company, submitted by Dr. William Tolmie, 1855 Courtesy of the Washington State Archives, AR108-1-4


The PSAC was dedicated farming and where DuPont currently resides at one time bolstered 5,872 sheep, 2280 cattle and 228 horses. The site today of the 1843 site was gifted to the National Conservatory and is fenced in. In actuality, the 1843 site is much larger than that of the protected space. The protection area included the *fort* and many other buildings and other structures existed outside the palisades such as the Butcher, Piggeries, Sheep Dam and Calf Stables. In 1845, England wanted a little better understanding of the capabilities of the Oregon Territory and sent t wo undercover spies Henry Warre and Merwin Vavasour. For six months they charted and sketched the various forts, capes and other landmarks of military importance. It’s because of Warre and Vavasour that sketches exist of many of the HBC Forts as well as secret reports written by them who count the number of American settlers in the territory. Their cover was men of Leisure.
By the end of 1845 American settlers were arriving to the Puget Sound and pushing into the lands that were owned by the HBC and PSAC according to the Oregon Treaty of 1846. In that same year a British frigate, Fisgard arrived at Nisqually captained by J.A. Duntz. They landed just before President Polk’s aggresive policy of “Fifty-four Forty or Fight”. On board Fisgard was Robert M. Inskip who proceeded to erect a Naval training station as an Instructor himself. This would be referred to Inskip Observatory and here would he train new midshipmen. The surveys they conducted were mostly of the upper portion of the sound. It should be noted that when American settlers starting arriving here the building was still standing and as one historian put it known as the ‘castle of indolence”. However, the 49th parallel was quickly being established as the new border. In 1855 war broke out with the natives due to the increased settling of Americans in the area. The United States and G.B. reached a final settlement in 1863 and in 1869 the deal was done and Washington Territory/State was American Soil. There are many other historic mentions and sites in DuPont to include the Sawmill at the mouth of Sequalitchew Creek ca. 1850.