Pacific Northwest History
Puget Sound
What's in a name?
Puget Sound is named after Peter Puget, an officer of George Vancouver's whose expeditions in the late 1700s lead to the naming of many places in the area.
Here are additional names of notable people in the history of the area:
- George Vancouver
- Peter Puget
- Peter Rainier
- Joseph Whidbey
- Joseph Baker
- Marquis of Townshend
- James Vashon
- H.M. Orchard
Learn more about the area and its many namesakes by using the resources linked below.
Source: "Cover of Ports of Puget Sound and Review of Northwest Industries, 1920" by Unidentified is in the Public Domain
- Tacoma Public Library: Washington Place Names"This unique resource provides the who, what, when and why about place names throughout Washington."
- Black Americans - HistoryLink searchA collection of articles about notable Black Americans in PNW History
- Bush, George W. (1790?-1863)A free African American leaving a slave State, G.W.Bush has a remarkable history in the state. From HistoryLink.org
- Joseph Whidbey circumnavigates Whidbey Island in June 1792.From HistoryLink.org
- Captain George VancouverFrom "Science and it's Times" in Gale Ebooks
- Vancouver, George (1758-1798)From HistoryLink.org
- Denny Party lands at Alki Point near future Seattle on November 13, 1851.Outlines the life of David Denny - From HistoryLink.org
- George Vancouver Charts the Pacific Coast of North America from California to AlaskaFrom "Science and it's Times" in Gale Ebooks
- Cities and Towns - Topic searchFrom HistoryLink.org - search a list of articles about various cities in Washington state and the pioneers and natives who lived there.
- English exploration and settlement—the Pacific RimFrom "Encyclopedia of American Environmental History" house in Gale Ebooks
- Puget SoundFrom the "Encyclopedia of American Environmental History" housed in Gale Ebooks
- Ships & Shipping Index - Tacoma Public Library"The Ships & Shipping Index contains more than 13,000 individual records with indexed information on ships built on the Pacific Coast, and ships with a connection to the Pacific Northwest. It includes the names (and former names) of vessels, their builders, careers and dispositions."
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