Historical Timeline

19th Century

1792 – Captain George Vancouver and his expedition arrived and surveyed the area and conferred the name Puget’s Sound for the body of water South of Tacoma Narrows. Which today is generally given to the waters North and South.

1832 – Archibald McDonald arrives during the spring and builds a storehouse with 8 or 9 other men along the mouth of Sequalitchew Creek for the duration of about 12 days before departing for Fort Vancouver.

1833 -

A. McDonald and a group of about 9 men including William F. Tolmie. Their overland party reaches Nisqually from Vancouver in about 14 days.
Chief Trader F. Heron arrives in June from Fort Colville to replace Archibald at Nisqually House.
Construction of the Fort begins during this period at the location know referred to as the 1833 site.

1838 – Rev. Jason Lee from the Oregon Territory visits the Nisqually area and visits with the local natives in hopes of securing a place for a mission site.

1839 -

Rev. David Leslie and William H. Willson arrive in Nisqually and begin construction on the Methodist Mission at the location Rev. Jason Lee secured earlier.
London established the Puget Sound Agricultural Company which stock is owned and purchased by HBC fur-traders exclusively. PSAC introduces farming as a main component of Nisqually House.

1840 – William H. Willson, J.P. Richmond and Ms. Chloe Clark arrive at the mission site. This will also mark the first American settlement in Washington State. This will also be the site of the first white blood couple wedding and first birth of an American child in Washington.

1843 – The new location of the Fort was chosen and over the next few years the move will occur. The Fort is not actually built and established all in one year, it’s rather a lengthy process.

To be Continued….