Washington Early History

First Early Inhabitants of Washington

Early history examines the archaeological record that tells the story of the first inhabitants of Washington. Learn about the history and culture of the first inhabitants, and what lessons it might teach us about the early history of Washington.

Washington First Early Inhabitants

• 40-17 million years ago - The Cascade Mountains are formed. The Olympic Mountains appear as islands in the Pacific.
• 17-6 million years ago - Floods of lava cover the Columbia Basin and destroy the Columbia River waterway.
• 6 million - 10,000 years ago - Washington's Ice Age. Volcanos form in the Cascades and huge glaciers cover the mountains and Puget Sound. Floods shape the southern part of the state.
• 11,000 BP - People of the Clovis Culture inhabit the Northwest.
• 6,700 BP - Mount Mazama erupts

Between 12,000 and 16,000 years ago, a group of nomadic hunters crossed the frozen Bering Strait from Siberia into present-day Alaska and eventually moved further south into the Pacific Northwest. Although distinct communities developed over time, all of these native groups were dependent upon the land and the water for their livelihood. Most of their lives revolved around fishing, the smoking and drying of fish, and moving across the land in search of fish. They lived in waterside villages of cedar plant houses. Another distinctive feature of these groups was their building of totem poles, which tell the stories of families, clans and individuals.

Many Native Americans lived in the Washington region when European explorers first visited the area. Some of these groups lived west of the Cascades. The Chinook, Nisqually, Quinault, and Puyallup hunted deer and fished for salmon and clams. Others, the Cayuse, Colville, Spokane, and Nez Percé, lived east of the Cascades on the plains and valleys.

One of the best known of the Native Americans in this area was Chief Seattle, who is believed to have born in central Puget Sound. Chief Seattle was a member of the Suquamish people and welcomed the first European traders and settlers, eager to trade with them. Unfortunately, Seattle's efforts to work with Europeans made some of his own people suspicious. Eventually, his people were defeated and Seattle died on a reservation.