Before 1800: The First People of Port Ludlow Bay
Long before sawmills, steam power, or homesteads, the sheltered coves and forested shores of what we now call Port Ludlow were home to the Chemakum people.
For countless generations, the Chemakum (also referred to as Chimakum or Chimacum) lived, fished, and gathered in this specific area. Their primary settlements were centered around Port Ludlow Bay, Port Townsend Bay, and the Quimper Peninsula. They were considered relatives of the Quileute people to the west and had their own distinct language and culture.
A Life Shaped by Land and Water
While not a large tribe, the Chemakum were deeply connected to the rich resources of the eastern Olympic Peninsula:
The Water as Highway and Provider: Their world was defined by the Salish Sea. They were skilled mariners, using dugout canoes for travel, trade, and harvesting the abundant salmon, shellfish, and marine life from the bays and inlets.
Seasonal Abundance: The area likely followed a pattern of seasonal movement. The shores of Port Ludlow Bay would have been an ideal seasonal camp for fishing and clamming during the warmer months, while more protected inland sites served as winter villages.
Stewards of the Landscape: They managed the land through practices like controlled burns to encourage the growth of useful plants and maintain open spaces for hunting and gathering.
A Lost Legacy and Enduring Names
The Chemakum people's story took a tragic turn. A major conflict with the Suquamish Tribe in 1847 resulted in heavy loss of life, and their numbers were further decimated by introduced diseases. Survivors often joined neighboring tribes, including the S'Klallam and Twana (Skokomish) peoples.
Though the Chemakum as a distinct political entity were gone by the time the first permanent white settlers arrived, their legacy is permanently woven into our local landscape. Their name lives on in Chimacum Creek, the Chimacum Valley, and the town of Chimacum—a direct link to the first people of this place.
The Broader Tapestry: S'Klallam and Twana Connections
The broader region is also the historic and ongoing homeland of the S'Klallam (or Klallam) people, whose territory extended along the north coast of the Olympic Peninsula. The City of Port Townsend acknowledges its original S'Klallam name, qatáy.
In 1855, representatives of the Chemakum, along with the S'Klallam and Twana, signed the Point No Point Treaty at the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula, ceding their lands but reserving the right to hunt, fish, and gather in their usual places.
When we explore the shores of Port Ludlow today, we walk where the Chemakum people once did. The natural abundance that later drew industrialists was first known and sustained by them, making their story the true beginning of our local history.
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