Port Gamble, Washington
Encyclopedia
Port Gamble is an unincorporated community
on the northwestern shore of the Kitsap Peninsula
in Kitsap County, Washington
, United States
. It is also a small, similarly named bay
, along which the community lies, near the entrance to Hood Canal
. The unincorporated communities of Port Gamble and Little Boston
, part of Kitsap County
, lie on either side of the mouth of this bay. The Port Gamble Historic District is a U.S. National Historic Landmark
. The population was 916 at the 2010 census.
The community of Port Gamble has a wide range of shops from antiques to a tea shop to an old-fashioned general store
. It is a popular tourist destination, due to its location near Bremerton
, Port Townsend
, Bainbridge Island
, and Seattle
and its downtown. Port Gamble is also home to the grave of Gustave Englebrecht, the first U.S. Navy sailor to die in the Pacific.
by Josiah Keller, William Talbot, and Andrew Pope's Puget Mill Company in 1853.
In 1856, the USS Massachusetts
was sent from Seattle to Port Gamble, Washington Territory
on Puget Sound
, where indigenous raiding parties from British and Russian territories had been raiding and enslaving local Native Americans
. When the warriors refused to hand over those among them who had attacked the Puget Sound Native American communities, Massachusetts landed a shore party and a battle ensued in which 26 natives and 1 sailor were killed. In the aftermath of this, Colonel Isaac Ebey, the first settler on Whidbey Island
, was shot and beheaded on August 11, 1857 by a Haida raiding party in revenge for the killing of a native chief during similar raids the year before. British authorities demurred on pursuing or attacking the northern tribes as they passed northward through British waters off Victoria and Ebey's killers were never caught.
The first school in the county went up in 1859, and the community took its present name in 1868. In 1966, the town of Port Gamble was designated a National Historic Landmark District
. In 1985, Pope & Talbot, the successor company to Puget Mill, split into Pope & Talbot and Pope Resources, the latter of which took over the site and the sawmill
. In 1995, the mill shut down after 142 years, making it the longest operating sawmill in the country.
Port Gamble was the setting of and filming location for the 2010 film ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction
.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
on the northwestern shore of the Kitsap Peninsula
Kitsap Peninsula
The Kitsap Peninsula is an arm of land that is part of the larger Olympic Peninsula in Washington state that lies west of Seattle across Puget Sound. Hood Canal separates Kitsap Peninsula from the rest of the Olympic Peninsula...
in Kitsap County, Washington
Kitsap County, Washington
Kitsap County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington, named after Chief Kitsap of the Suquamish tribe. As of 2011 state estimate, its population was 253,900. Its county seat is at Port Orchard, and its largest city is Bremerton....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is also a small, similarly named bay
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
, along which the community lies, near the entrance to Hood Canal
Hood Canal
Hood Canal is a fjord forming the western lobe, and one of the four main basins, of Puget Sound in the state of Washington. Hood Canal is not a canal in the sense of being a man-made waterway—it is a natural waterway.-Geography:...
. The unincorporated communities of Port Gamble and Little Boston
Little Boston, Washington
Little Boston is an unincorporated community in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is located east of the community of Port Gamble, on Port Gamble's harbor...
, part of Kitsap County
Kitsap County, Washington
Kitsap County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington, named after Chief Kitsap of the Suquamish tribe. As of 2011 state estimate, its population was 253,900. Its county seat is at Port Orchard, and its largest city is Bremerton....
, lie on either side of the mouth of this bay. The Port Gamble Historic District is a U.S. National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
. The population was 916 at the 2010 census.
The community of Port Gamble has a wide range of shops from antiques to a tea shop to an old-fashioned general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
. It is a popular tourist destination, due to its location near Bremerton
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
, Port Townsend
Port Townsend, Washington
Port Townsend is a city in Jefferson County, Washington, United States, approximately north-northwest of Seattle . The population was 9,113 at the 2010 census an increase of 9.3% over the 2000 census. It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County...
, Bainbridge Island
Bainbridge Island, Washington
Bainbridge Island is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States, and the name of the island in Puget Sound on which the city is situated...
, and Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
and its downtown. Port Gamble is also home to the grave of Gustave Englebrecht, the first U.S. Navy sailor to die in the Pacific.
Battle of Port Gamble
The body of water was named by the Wilkes Expedition in 1841 after U.S. Navy Lt. Robert Gamble. The community, originally known as Teekalet, was founded as a company townCompany town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
by Josiah Keller, William Talbot, and Andrew Pope's Puget Mill Company in 1853.
In 1856, the USS Massachusetts
USS Massachusetts (1845)
USS Massachusetts was a steamer acquired by the U.S. Navy prior to the American Civil War. She was used by the U.S. War Department as a transport during the Mexican-American War and traveled widely, including transiting Cape Horn several times as part of her official duties on both sides of the...
was sent from Seattle to Port Gamble, Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
on Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
, where indigenous raiding parties from British and Russian territories had been raiding and enslaving local Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. When the warriors refused to hand over those among them who had attacked the Puget Sound Native American communities, Massachusetts landed a shore party and a battle ensued in which 26 natives and 1 sailor were killed. In the aftermath of this, Colonel Isaac Ebey, the first settler on Whidbey Island
Whidbey Island
Whidbey Island is one of nine islands located in Island County, Washington, in the United States. Whidbey is located about north of Seattle, and lies between the Olympic Peninsula and the I-5 corridor of western Washington...
, was shot and beheaded on August 11, 1857 by a Haida raiding party in revenge for the killing of a native chief during similar raids the year before. British authorities demurred on pursuing or attacking the northern tribes as they passed northward through British waters off Victoria and Ebey's killers were never caught.
The first school in the county went up in 1859, and the community took its present name in 1868. In 1966, the town of Port Gamble was designated a National Historic Landmark District
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
. In 1985, Pope & Talbot, the successor company to Puget Mill, split into Pope & Talbot and Pope Resources, the latter of which took over the site and the sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
. In 1995, the mill shut down after 142 years, making it the longest operating sawmill in the country.
ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction (film)
ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction is a 2010 zombie comedy film directed by Kevin Hamedani.-Plot:The film begins on a beach of the island town of Port Gamble. A blind resident discovers a rotting zombie washed up in the sand, who wakes up...
.