About 12,000 years ago vast continental glaciers were in retreat, leaving behind rounded hills and marshy meadows. There were no dense forests yet. Elk, bison, wolves and mastodons roamed the land, and humans roamed with them.

The first efforts to settle the Queets River valley began during the winter of 1889. In early December, John J. Banta and S. Price Sharp travelled from Tacoma to explore the possibilities for homesteading west of Port Townsend. On December 23, the party reached a site in the Queets River Valley eight miles upstream from the ocean, which Banta decided to claim as his homestead. By spring of 1890, they had persuaded twenty-one people to claim homesteads in the area.

To preserve nearly an entire river valley from source to sea, President Truman added the narrow Queets corridor to Olympic National Park in 1953. Five species of Pacific salmon, including steelhead, spawn in the Queets River. Salmon distributes nutrients among the forests, wildlife, and people who live along the rivers.  Area tribes continue to depend on these great fish for their livelihoods.  The first salmon caught in spring was prepared in a prescribed manner, and shared with each member of the village. If shown proper respect and gratitude when they visited, the salmon would return in great numbers thus ensuring the people’s survival. Tribal members continue to honor the return of the salmon.

Court decisions have reaffirmed the right of area tribes to carry on their fishing practices. In 1974, a landmark court decision upheld tribal fishing rights retained under the 1855 treaties, including the protection of habitat. Today, most of the Queets River watershed is protected. Its salmon runs are among the most productive in the country, indicating a healthy, intact ecosystem.

Credits and Sources:

National Park Service. "Administrative History 1992." NPS.gov. http://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/olym/olym_adhi.pdf (accessed June 12th, 2015).

National Park Service. "Ancient Peoples and Area Tribes." NPS.gov. http://www.nps.gov/olym/learn/historyculture/upload/ancient-peoples.pdf (accessed June 22nd, 2015).

National Park Service. "Queets Area." NPS.gov. http://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/upload/Queetsnewaccess.pdf (accessed June 12th, 2015).