Prior to the establishment of the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1833, the area surrounding the Sequalitchew Creek was the home of the Sequalitchew Band. One of the 13 bands of the Nisqually Tribe, the Sequalitchew lived where the creek met the Puget Sound. The name Sequalitchew is meant to describe the sandy beach at the mouth of the creek or “long run-out tide.”The village consisted of two cedar plank longhouses and had a population of around 50 people. Located next to freshwater and above the tide line, the location of the village was well thought out. In charge of the village’s affairs was a headsman who would show bravery and wisdom in times of hardship. Their burial grounds were further north on a high cliff for protection and they practiced both ground and tree burials. In order to keep children from playing in the cemetery elders would tell them the spirits would be upset.Their diet contained a variety of shellfish and small fish like herring and flounder. Salmon were a mainstay in the diet due to the several different types that came throughout the year. The Nisqually Prairie provided them with roots and bulbs to eat. During the summer groups would go out to hunt deer and collect berries. Ceremonies were held to give thanks for all these sources of food.

People of the Sequalitchew Band interpretive sign

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Before the arrival of the Hudson’s Bay Company, the Sequalitchew Tribe inhabited the area for thousands of years. They get their name from the Sequalitchew Creek and they built their village at the mouth of the river. The first recorded Chief was La-ha-let who earned the trust of the HBC men and served as an interpreter.

People of the Sequalitchew Band

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Visit each interpretive sign in the City of DuPont to learn the history of the town which dates back over 5000 years. 

In 1997 Iafrati Park was officially named in honor of John &amp; Ruth Iafrati. John purchased this plot of land and designated it as a park for the town. Ruth was a member of the Museum Committee for twenty years and was instrumental in creating the DuPont Historical Museum, which is located one block from the park. Ruth was also instrumental to the town's historic district being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.This was also the location of the first public school in the community, known at the time as School District #7 Schoolhouse. The school district received its first state funding in 1860 and the students attended school in a private home. By 1866, 34 students were enrolled and a decision was made to build the 1866 school. The first teacher in the school was Mrs. Settle. In 1885, a replacement school was built 2 miles away on the edge of what is now Fort Lewis Golf Course.

This park was named for Mayor John Iafrati and his wife Ruth. The couple made numerous contributions to the community, and John served two terms as mayor from 1969 to 1972 and 1976 to 1979. The Park is located on 120 Barksdale Ave in front of the DuPont Company Managers' house. In 1866, the first school building in DuPont opened on land within current Iafrati Park. There is a stone monument dedicated to the school as well as a picnic area in the park.

Iafrati Park

The Plymouth locomotive was one of several narrow gauge engines used by the DuPont Company to transport dynamite and supplies from the plant to the wharf and vice versa. Rails provided a safe and reliable way of transport compared to trucks driving on pothole roads. Narrow gauge was chosen over standard gauge due to the sharp turns along the Sequalitchew Canyon. A series of electric trains were used on lines that did not change in elevation. These worked mostly in the plant with gas and diesel engines running down to the wharf.When Weyerhaeuser bought the land from the DuPont Company, the trains were a part of that sale. The Plymouth-12 engine, 2 flatcars, a boxcar, a shell crate car, and Brookville 2-ton engine were donated to the museum but they needed a place to be properly stored. Senator Mike Carrell (2004-2012) took special interest in the history of DuPont and worked hard to save the Dynamite train. Through his fundraising efforts, a canopy was able to be built behind the museum to store the train. Throughout his life Senator Carrell was a devoted supporter of preserving historical landmarks in Pierce County. This devotion saw him posthumously awarded the Heritage Advocate Award in 2015.

Next to the DuPont Museum is a Narrow Gauge train used by the DuPont Company. The train was used to transport dynamite to and from the plant and the wharf. After the closure of the plant, the Plymouth engine was stored on Ft. Lewis while a canopy was built by the museum. Former Sen. Mike Carrell (2004-2012) played a pivotal role in raising the money for the canopy.

DuPont Dynamite Train & Senator Mike Carrell

Near Edmonds Marsh and adjacent to the 1843 Fort Nisqually, Hudson's Bay Company employees planted various fruit trees including apple, pears and plum thickets. These would remain there after the fort’s closure in 1870. For the next several decades the trees became a favorite spot to visit for local residents with several accounts of people picking apples from the trees.Being a local favorite, steps were taken in 2016 to preserve these heirloom apple varieties. A coalition of DuPont residents received approval to plant cuttings from the original trees and created a new orchard a few yards away. The original orchard can be viewed from a trail off Tolmie Ave.

Hudson’s Bay Company employees beginning in 1843, planted the Heirloom orchard on the edge of Edmonds Marsh. Approximately 13 original apple, pear and plum thickets are still alive. In 2016 cuttings from these trees were planted in a new orchard behind the 1843 Fort Nisqually site in an effort to preserve these varieties.

Heirloom Orchard

In the 1980s while Weyerhaeuser Company was moving dirt to build Northwest Landing, five graves were uncovered under a rather large lone fir tree approximately 500 meters southeast of the 1843 Fort Nisqually. Three of the graves were identified as HBC employees Charles Forrest, John Edgar and William Legg. Two of the graves were identified as a teenage European male and a middle-aged European female. A grave, first uncovered in 1912 during the building the Black powder plant, was identified as a European and is also reburied in the cemetery.Many Native Americans from other tribes visited Fort Nisqually, 1833-1870, trading furs with Hudson's Bay Company employees for European goods. Four unknown Native American graves were uncovered and their remains were accorded due ceremony by the Nisqually Tribe and interred in this little cemetery.

In the 1980s while Weyerhaeuser was moving dirt to build Northwest Landing, a number of unmarked graves were uncovered: including Native Americans, Hudson’s Bay Company, and Puget Sound Agricultural Company personnel. This New Sequalitchew Cemetery, adjacent to the 1843 Fort Nisqually site, was created to receive these unknown remains. Four unknown Native American graves and seven European graves are located in the New Seqaualitchew Cemetery.

New Sequalitchew Cemetery

The 1833 Fort Nisqually site could not fit the growing demands of the HBC and PSAC employees and was half a mile from freshwater. In 1843, a new larger Fort Nisqually was built a mile in land where it was closer to the Sequalitchew Creek. PSAC developed a farm on the north side of the creek and utilized part of the Edmond's Marsh land by digging ditches to drain the water.In 1846, the Oregon treaty was signed giving the United States the land south of the 49th parallel and placed the fort on American soil. Negotiations lasted for many years when in 1869 the U.S. government paid the company $650,000 for the properties in the Pacific Northwest.Dr. William F. Tolmie was the chief factor for the new fort site until 1859 when he transferred to Victoria, B.C. His successor was Edward Huggins who ran the fort until its closure. Edward Huggins became a U.S. citizen and laid claim to the Fort Nisqually property ending up with around a thousand acres. He used the land as a farm and maintained a trading post until it became unprofitable. In 1906 he sold the land to the DuPont Company. In 1934 the Tacoma Young Mens Club, received permission from the DuPont Company to move the Factor's House and old Granary building to Point Defiance where a replica Fort Nisqually was built.

In 1843 the decision was made to move the 1833 Fort Nisqually site inland about a mile on the banks of Sequalitchew Creek which provided a freshwater supply. In 1838, with the decline of the need for furs, the HBC shifted more into farming with the creation of the subsidiary called the Puget Sound Agricultural Company. In 1846, the Oregon Treaty was signed, giving the United States rights to the land south of the 49th parallel. After lengthy negotiations, in 1869 the U.S. government paid a settlement of $650,000 to the Hudson's Bay Company for its holdings, closing Fort Nisqually in 1870.

1843-1869 Fort Nisqually Site

In 1924, Company 11 of the DuPont Fire Department was created following a grass fire that was put out by boys in the neighborhood. The department had 11 volunteers whose ages ranged from 7 to 12 with the Fire Chief only being 11 years old. The boys had four hose reel carts stationed strategically around the town. When needed for an emergency, the young men would retrieve a cart from the nearest shed and fight the fire until men working at the plant could arrive and put out the fire.When the town was incorporated for the second time in 1951 it was still a volunteer department but it had expanded to 20 men and boys with 2 fire trucks, the first of which was bought in 1963 for $49,000. More hydrants were placed around DuPont along with alarm boxes.In 2008, the fire department moved from the historic village portion of DuPont to the Northwest Landing portion of town where the current station is. It is no longer a volunteer department. An Aid Unit manned by EMTs is also used for critical calls. In 2011, volunteers, boy scouts and fire department employees restored the last hose reel cart and shed by the station.

DuPont's fire department was originally manned by young boys owing to the employment of all able-bodied men at the plant, which was a mile away from most homes. In response, the boys of DuPont were tasked to be the first responders for fires in the town. With ages ranging from 7 to 12, DuPont Fire Company No. 11 was declared the youngest fire department in the U.S. in 1924. For many years until the department was staffed by men, the boys used a hose reel cart and attached it to a hydrant to fight the fire. The actions of the boys helped to mitigate the emergency until men from the plant arrived to assist. In honor of this history, a restored hose reel cart and shed used by the original department are located here at the modern fire station.

DuPont Fire Department

Completed in 1909, the DuPont Wharf was crucial to the success of the plant. Many of the raw materials used to make the dynamite came from Chile. Once the dynamite was complete, ships such as the MV Otter would take dynamite cartridges to Alaska to help with construction projects. Shipments went down to South America where the dynamite was used to build the Panama Canal. A pair of narrow gauge rails ran to and from the wharf to transport the goods safely. There were two storehouses on the wharf to maintain all the shipments. There was also a storage building on top of the cliff that was accessed by the Telpher, a cable tramway of buckets that were used to transfer sodium nitrate up the cliff.After the closure of the plant, the wharf was torn down with the posts being cut off beneath the water. The wooden posts that are on the beach today were used for tying up log rafts that would be taken by tugboats to the sawmill or to be shipped out.

The narrow gauge train bed ran alongside the Sequalitchew Creek carrying dynamite and Black powder down to the DuPont Wharf to be shipped out and returning with materials and supplies for the plant. Completed in 1909, the wharf was 300 feet long, 200 feet deep, and had 2 storehouses. The old train bed is now one of the most used trails in the city. Remnants of the narrow gauge tracks can be seen at the end of the trail.

DuPont Wharf (End of trail)

The Nisqually Prairie was chosen as the site for the 1833 fort due to it being halfway between Fort Langley and Fort Vancouver. This cut down on travel time for Native Americans looking to trade and provided security for travelers. At the time, the Nisqually region was considered the ideal spot for collecting furs from animals like beavers, bears, and minks, making it the prime spot for a trading post.Great consideration was put into making sure the 1833 fort site would not upset the Sequalitchew Tribe. Built a half mile away from their village and on top of the bluff, it ensured interactions would remain peaceful.In 1906, the E.I. DuPont de Nemours purchased 3200 acres of land in the region to expand the company westward. Being on the west coast made it easier for shipments to reach places like Alaska and countries in South America. DuPont built a dynamite and Black powder plant with a company town for their employees. The Nisqually Prairie was decided as the location for the plant because it was close to the Puget Sound and was sparsely populated, with the town being built further east. The plant remained in use until 1976 when the land was sold to the Weyerhaeuser Company.In 1991, Weyerhaeuser, the DuPont Company and the Department of Ecology began a clean-up of the powder works site. The end result was a golf course being opened in 2007 called The Home Course. Old Fort Lake and remnants of the plant are located on the course.

The Nisqually Prairie was the sight of the original 1833 Fort Nisqually. The Hudson’s Bay employees regarded the area for its beauty. It is not a natural prairie, however, the land was purposely burned by the Sequalitchew Tribe to create a prairie environment that offered a wider variety of resources than those typically found in the area.

Nisqually Prairie

Leschi along with his brother Quiemuth were leaders of the Nisqually Tribe. Both worked well with Hudson’s Bay employees and the American settlers that arrived in the mid 1800s. When Isaac Stevens, the Governor of the Washington territory, wanted to negotiate land settlements with the Natives he designated Quiemuth as Chief of the Nisqually and Leschi as Sub-Chief. At the Medicine Creek Council of 1854, the reservation mapped out for the Nisquallies was rejected by Leschi, but his signature was forged on the document.The following year the Puget Sound Indian-Settler War broke out with Leschi leading the Nisqually, Puyallup, and upper Duwamish tribes. The war lasted until the next year and soon after the war Leschi was arrested and put on trial under the accusation of killing a militiaman. On February 19, 1858 he was executed by hanging. In December 2004 a historical court was held that exonerated Leschi of the murder charges.

Chief Leschi Park, named for Chief Leschi a Nisqually leader, is the largest park in DuPont, WA Hoffman Hills housing development. Chief Leschi, along with his brother Quiemuth, led the Nisqually Tribe warriors to war in 1855 over the need for better reservation land. Leschi was accused of killing a militiaman and after several trials was hung on February 19, 1858. Many people, including U.S. Army officers at Fort Steilacoom, felt he was innocent. In 2004, a special historical court retried Leschi and exonerated him on the charge of murder.

Chief Leschi Park

In 1976, the Weyerhaeuser Company bought the 3200 acres of land belonging to the DuPont Company with the intent of building a deep-water port to ship logs to east Asian countries. Those plans fell through as well as a host of other plans such as building a satellite campus of UW in DuPont or the construction of an amusement park. They settled on building an expansion of the town in 1994 called Northwest Landing using a town model known as New Urbanism with the intention of leaving upon its completion. The historic village portion of DuPont was largely untouched.New Urbanism is an urban development model that became popular in the 1980s as a response to large cities that focused heavily on cars for transit. It focuses on walkable paths and connected trails to maintain an environmentally friendly town and to be easier to traverse for pedestrians. Streets are narrow promoting safer driving and trees line the street. It creates a designated town center for community events within walking distance of most homes and ensures the town is self-sustaining with essential businesses outside of the housing portion of town. Northwest Landing fulfills most of the qualities of the New Urbanist model.

In 1976, the DuPont Company sold their land to the Weyerhaeuser Company who initially had plans to develop a deep water port. When those plans fell through it was decided they would build a planned community called Northwest Landing. This new town was built under a New Urbanist model that focused on walking paths and a trail system easy to navigate.

The Road to New Urbanism

Charles George Ross Jr. worked for both the Hudson’s Bay Company and the Puget Sound Agricultural Company, both of which centered their Puget Sound operations around Fort Nisqually. He spent much of his time at the fort and at various company owned farms in the area. He married Catherine Tumalt, a Nisqually Woman, and had eleven kids together. His father was a chief fur trader for the HBC and established Fort Victoria on Vancouver Island.The plaza contains two memorials, the larger of the two is the City of DuPont Global War on Terrorism memorial. It consists of two large stone tablets, one is inscribed with the reasoning for the memorial and the second is inscribed with the name of DuPont residences who have fallen in action. Between these two tablets is the memorial for former town resident Wilburn K. Ross who received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during World War 2.

Ross Plaza is named for Scotsman Charles Ross Jr. who was a farmer for the Puget Sound Agricultural Company. The park has a memorial to Wilburn Ross, a World War 2 veteran, who received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions. The Plaza also has the City of DuPont Global War on Terrorism Memorial to honor all of the DuPont residents who have fallen in action.

DuPont Walking Tour

People of the Sequalitchew Band

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information