History of Names in the Salish Sea

The name “Salish Sea” is not the original name for the combined bodies of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Puget Sound, and the Strait of Georgia. On June 4th, 1792 (the birth date of King George III), while he stood at Possession Point (the south part of Whidbey Island), Captain George Vancouver announced that on the behalf of the King of England, he “possessed” all the lands he had been to, the lands where he currently was, and the lands that he would see during his future voyages.  An aspect of his “possession” was the right to name the bodies of land and water that he passed by for England. The inland waters, including the present-day Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Puget Sound, and the Strait of Georgia, he “honored” with the name of the Gulf of Georgia.

As history shows, however, the name of the Gulf of Georgia did not persist over these past 200 years. What is the reason for this? George Vancouver named the water and land features in the gulf, while reluctantly keeping the name of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. His reasons for being reluctant are separate from this story and will be explored in the future in another fascinating story. Eventually, however, the name “Puget Sound” came into being and eclipsed the Gulf of Georgia.

Originally, the Puget Sound that George Vancouver named was a relatively small area of the present-day Puget Sound. Initially, it was a part of the Gulf of Georgia that included the waters south of the present-day Tacoma Narrows. Over time, the Gulf of Georgia morphed into the Strait of Georgia as the Puget Sound expanded into the area as we know it today, and American history played a significant role in this metamorphosis.

The American Revolutionary War ended in 1783 with the peace treaty between the United States of America and Great Britain, nine years before Captain George Vancouver named the Gulf of Georgia in honor of King George III. Twenty-six years after the naming, the USA and Great Britain signed the Treaty of 1818, which allowed both nations to occupy and settle the present-day Pacific Northwest, known back then as “Oregon Country”. This treaty also set the boundary between the USA and Great Britain at the 49th parallel, which has remained as the boundary between the two nations into the present day.

The American expansion into the west began in the early 1800s, with Michael T. Simmons and George establishing the first permanent American settlement in Tumwater, Washington, in 1840. As the number of American settlers in the Pacific Northwest increased, the question arose of what to call the marine waters around Olympia. The aftermath of the American Revolutionary War left many settlers uncomfortable with the idea of retaining the name of the Gulf of Georgia, and the Puget Sound name was more favorable. As the settler population multiplied and expanded to the north of Olympia, the Puget Sound name spread throughout the land with them. The rising popularity of the Puget Sound name resulted in the Gulf of Georgia decreasing in size, eventually becoming the Strait of Georgia.

In 1865, the United States defined the southern boundary of the Strait of Georgia as a point that began at East Point, Saturna Island, following a line north of Patos Island and Matia Island, passing by Point Migley on Lummi Island. As a result, the city of Blaine, Point Roberts, and Birch Bay are now a part of the present-day Strait of Georgia. The United States Geological Survey and the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration settled on the entrance of Admiralty Inlet, a strait that connects the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Puget Sound, as the northern boundary of the Sound.

The Puget Sound story, however, does not end at this point. In the mid-1980s, Washington decreed that all inland marine waters of the state would be considered as part of the Puget Sound. Now, the areas of northwest Washington state, including part of the Strait of Georgia, the San Juan Islands, the city of Blaine as well as the cities and towns located along the Olympic Peninsula side of the Strait of the Juan de Fuca are also considered part of the Puget Sound. The United States federal government, however, has not yet approved this expansion of the definition of Puget Sound, and it is unclear if the name will continue to be used for this.

The naming traditions of the European and American settlements of the area are long and complex, though it does not appear that the Salish Sea peoples ever had a name for the area now known as the Salish Sea. There were names for areas of the Salish Sea, but not for its entirety. The most direct piece of evidence that Bert Weber was able to find was the Lushootseed language’s name “Whulgh”. This name was used by First Nations for part of Puget Sound and was promoted by the author Harvey Manning in the 20th century. Today, it is still used by a small number of people in the region as an alternate name for Puget Sound.

The question remains: Will the Salish Sea name persist? Geographical names must be relevant to remain in use. Vancouver first named Vancouver Island, “Quadra and Vancouver Island” to honor the work of Spanish explorer Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra.  Over time, however, the Spanish name faded away after the Spanish withdrew from the area in 1795.

Currently, the name recognition of the Salish Sea is quite low. Around 8% of people in the Seattle area are aware of what the Salish Sea is and where it is located. In the Vancouver area, this statistic is roughly 12%. While the public is largely unaware of this name, it is incredibly useful for people such as resource managers and scientists. For example, the biannual Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference is attended every two years by over a thousand people interested in the conservation of the unique environment that exists within the area. In addition to scientists, many businesses have also adopted the name due to its economic value. While the name is not widely known yet, many are convinced that the Salish Sea has a long future ahead of helping solve the challenge of restoring and protecting the natural values of this ecosystem.