port angeles Did you know? Port Angeles is the county seat of Clallam County and the largest city on the North Olympic Peninsula. It sits between the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains on a natural deepwater harbor, which was originally named “Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles” (or “Port of Our Lady of the Angels”) in 1791 by Spanish explorer Don Francisco de Eliza. This was eventually shortened into its current name, Port Angeles Harbor. However, long before Don Francisco came across the region, the area was home to Klallam tribes and two major Klallam villages, I’e’nis and Tse-whit-zen. Port Angeles was established as a townsite by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862 by executive order. The Board of Trade in 1890 called Port Angeles the “Second National City,” with Washington, D.C., being the first. In 1887, the utopian Puget Sound Co-Operative Colony settled in Port Angeles, and the population steadily grew. While the colony did not last long, it played a major role in the development of Port Angeles.
Clallam County Courthouse
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NORTH OLYMPIC PENINSULA GUIDE
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FALL 2013 | WINTER 2014