Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (located at the entrance to the bay) has created a fantastic video that will show you the direction and intensity of the current in the bay over a 24 hour period.

Science is pretty cool.

OVERVIEW 
Any discussion of the history of Sequim Bay starts with the S’Klallam people (sometimes spelled Klallam or Clallam). Tribal ancestors have made Sequim Bay and the surrounding area their home for centuries and the current Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal headquarters and administrative buildings are appropriately located at the head of the bay in Blyn. 

Spanish and English explorers began to arrive and map the area in the early 1790s with Capt. George Vancouver’s expedition being the most notable. But both Vancouver in 1792 and Spanish explorer Manuel Quimper in 1790 failed to spot Sequim Bay behind the long sand spit that separates it from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Spanish ships commanded by Francisco de Eliza were the first to name the bay “Ensenado de Bertodano” in 1791. In 1841, the United States Exploring Expedition under the command of Lt. Charles Wilkes was the first to map the bay and name the various sandy points located around the harbor. The Wilkes Expedition’s name for the bay was Budd’s Harbour and only Pitship Point and Kiapot Point retain the name given to it by this US expedition. 

The name “Sequim” originates from the S’Klallam village at the entrance of the bay called Suxtcikwi’in. An early and incorrect translation of the word was “quiet waters” but the correct meaning from the S’Klallam language is “place for going to shoot,” relating to the plentiful hunting opportunities of waterfowl and elk in the area. The area is rich with naming controversies and Sequim Bay is no exception so you will see some older maps calling the entire bay “Washington Harbor” when in fact that is only the name of the area near the entrance to the bay. 

With the arrival of the earliest white settlers and continuing on to present day, the bay and surrounding communities have been home to industries such as logging, agriculture, shellfishing and scientific research while providing endless outdoor recreational opportunities for locals and tourists alike. 

WANT TO READ MORE? 
Fish Tales of Sequim Bay by Harriet Fish (1985)
This pamphlet is a nice little resource for the overall history of the bay.  
Available for purchase at the Sequim Museum and Arts Center.

Klallam Folk Tales and Klallam Ethnography by Erna Gunther (1927) 
Essential reading for S’Klallam history. Most other history books on the Tribe cite Gunther as a source. 
Read now on Google Books

WASHINGTON HARBOR
S’KLALLAM VILLAGE – Located at the entrance to the bay, Washington Harbor has the most documented human history of any site on the bay. Radiocarbon dating shows tribal activity here going back more than 600 years at the S’Klallam village known as Suxtcikwi’in. Maps from 1841 and 1870 show a longhouse in this location and ethnologist Erna Gunther documented a village here from 1875-1880 with 10 lodges and over 40 residents.  Gibson Spit, to the Northeast was used as a burial area. It was disrupted by a powerful storm in 1891 in which tidal surges scattered remains and burial items. As white settlers and entrepreneurs moved into the area, the Native America’s were pushed out with some living just across the channel on Travis Spit and working for the cannery that took the place of the village. 

BUGGE FAMILY CANNERY, CREAMERY AND DOCK – A cannery operated at Washington Harbor as early as the 1880s and a large Victorian home was built in 1889. Sequim pioneer Hans J. Bugge is the most notable developer at the site.  Hans, and later his son Anphin, operated the cannery here for more than 60 years. The cannery had 30-40 employees and at its peak, shipping 10,000 cases of clams per year under the names Moon Kist and Tureen. 

The site also included a creamery and the dock served as the primary port for commercial ships of the Mosquito Fleet until the wharfs at Port Williams and Dungeness were built. Children arrived by boat to a small schoolhouse that also sat on the property until it was moved to a nearby hillside due to winter tidal flooding. In 1910, Hans Bugge replaced the previous home on the site with a 6-bedroom Georgian style home which stood well into the time period of the next owners, Battelle. (The picture to the right shows Washington Harbor before the Bugge  home was built.)

BATTELLE – In 1966, Battelle Northwest purchased the property and developed it into a marine research laboratory. Local aquaculture expert Peter Becker Ph.D., owner of Olympic Aquafarms and former Senior Scientist at Battelle Marine Science Laboratory tells us, “The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Marine Sciences Laboratory (PNNL-MSL) is a US Department of Energy (DOE) owned facility under the direction of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, WA. It was established as an up wind air monitoring and reference station during the open atmospheric nuclear weapons testing  period and an air reference station for the Hanford Nuclear production facility on the Columbia River and other facilities in Idaho. It has been managed since 1966 under a contract to the Battelle Memorial Laboratory in Columbus, OH, which currently manages or co-manages, Hanford, and some 6 other DOE  nuclear facilities around the United States.”

During the lab’s construction a number of Native American artifacts were excavated and one human skeleton was found. The Bugge’s Georgian home remained onsite until 1981.

Recent research at the lab has produced a predictive ocean modeling tool for the Salish Sea to study the effects of climate change while also providing insight into future water quality management issues and shoreline restoration planning.  Additional projects have focused on creating alternative energy from natural ocean resources and finding ways to mitigate biofouling.    

THE MIDDLE GROUND
Just inside the entrance to the bay is a sandy shoal known as the Middle Ground. Google maps show it quite clearly but it only reveals itself at lower tides. It has served as a prime spot for clam harvesting going back thousands of years and is currently owned by Battelle. The Middle Ground can be a sneaky enemy of boats that don’t follow the channel markers in and out of the bay. It will hide just below the surface on certain tides and with strong currents entering the bay in that location, boats have been known to run aground there including the famed tall ship Lady Washington on July 24, 2017. It happens to boats of all shapes sizes as you can see in the picture here. The same current and shallow water that grounds boats will push your paddleboard or kayak right into the rocks too if you aren’t careful (I know this from experience unfortunately). Be careful out there! 

PARADISE COVE / TRAVIS SPIT 
TRAVIS SPIT – Like the many sand spits in this area, Travis Spit was created by the erosion of nearby bluffs whose sediment was transported by wind and current to form a long narrow land mass. Travis Spit protects Sequim Bay from the wind waves and swell produced in the Strait of Juan de Fuca creating a perfect saltwater harbor for boats and recreation while connecting Sequim to the entire Puget Sound. The western end of the spit is known as Kiapot Point. 

The spit was home to a trading post as early as 1853 and number of S’Klallam lived on the spit after white settlers moved into the Washington Harbor site with many working for the cannery. During the Great Depression, Sequim Bay saw its own version of a Hooverville community spring up when a number of single men built one room shacks here and on the spit outside Paradise Cove. They mostly sustained themselves by eating the abundant clams and other shellfish at the shoreline. There were as many as 25 shacks here at one time and it’s fascinating as you paddle by the few that are still remaining to imagine living in such a meager dwelling. 

PARADISE COVE – This might be one of the most beautiful and intriguing spots on the bay. A number of the Depression-era shacks mentioned above still reside on the sand spit that protects this small cove as do two boats from the same time period. One boat belonged to a man known as Capt. Taylor who lived on the boat until it was no longer seaworthy, forcing him to move into one of the shacks on the beach. Taylor was the last of the group of squatters and was still there well into the late 1960s.

Paradise Cove also served as a hideaway for smugglers. During the late 19th century, Chinese laborers, opium and wine were smuggled across the strait from Canada to various locations from Dungeness to Discovery Bay. The prohibition era also saw a rise in smuggling activity and Paradise Cove’s secluded location was easily out of the sight of law enforcement. Little documentation can be found about these activities at what was sometimes called “Pirates Cove,” but stills and liquor caches were often found and many lights and a lot of foot traffic was noted at night. 

​The land around Paradise Cove is currently owned by the collective group of property owners and therefore all private property. The association shares a pool and tennis courts and employs a caretaker. John Treadwell served as caretaker for more than 30 years and built and resided in the small cabin that sits at the entrance to the cove. He was given the opportunity to name the houses around the property in the 1960’s and decided to let them share the moniker of rivers that flowed from the Olympic mountains such as Duckabush, Soleduck, Dosewallips and Humptulips. Treadwell was so beloved and his work on the property so admired that on his 86th birthday, the small spit in front of the cove was named Treadwell Spit by the residents.  

SUNKEN VESSEL
This mystery first revealed itself on the nautical chart for the bay where the symbol for a shipwreck appears near the center of Travis Spit. Further examination on Google Maps  and the Department of Ecology’s Shoreline photos clearly show the outline of a moderate sized vessel. After paddling out I discovered it in very shallow water with what looks like a smokestack reaching up toward the surface and a tiny buoy to mark its location. It’s really amazing to see on a sunny, windless day as the eelgrass suddenly ends and you begin to see shapes and angles of the debris below you. The bay for the most part has reclaimed her so you can’t really see the full structure of the boat but you can easily decipher the outline of where it rests including what looks like a large square hatch or basket toward the northern end and the smokestack to the south. The smokestack looks as if it’s barely standing and is in very shallow water so be careful as you paddle near it.

JAMESTOWN S’KLALLAM TRIBAL CENTER
The people of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe have been have been residents, fisherman, hunters, watermen, stewards, leaders and protectors of Sequim Bay for at least 2000 years. Today, the beautiful buildings that make up the headquarters of the Tribe are located appropriately at the head of the bay where the afternoon summer sun shines brightly and can be seen from anywhere you may paddle on the bay. 

Since the signing of the 1855 Point No Point Treaty, few other tribes have been as successful at retaining their autonomy as the Jamestown S’Klallam. This started in 1874 with the formation of the Jamestown community with tribal leader Lord James Balch arranging for the purchase of 210 acres of land just north of Sequim Bay for tribal members to live and continue their traditional ways, thereby avoiding the inadequate living conditions provided at the Skokomish Reservation. The Tribe has continued its entrepreneurial and progressive nature over the past century and in 1981 became Federally recognized as a sovereign nation. At this time they also acquired 2.1 acres of land at the head of the bay for their tribal headquarters and Heron Hall was built 6 years later with more construction to follow. The Tribe also currently owns approximately 100 acres of tidelands at the southern end of the bay. 

Known as “The Strong People,” the tribe has historically been recognized for their great fishing, hunting and canoe skills and their lives were sustained by the plentiful wildlife, shellfish and cedar trees that surrounded them at Sequim Bay. Today the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe are noted for their leadership in resource management in the Dungeness watershed and their business acumen with a number of successful area enterprises including 7 Cedars Casino, The Cedars at Dungeness Golf Course and first rate healthcare provided by the Jamestown Family Health Clinic and Jamestown Family Dental Clinic.  For more information and history, please visit their website.

JIMMYCOMELATELY CREEK RESTORATION
Jimmycomelately Creek at the south end of the bay in Blyn is the primary tributary entering the bay. Starting in the late 1880s, Blyn developed into a logging and agricultural area and with this development came many alterations to Jimmycomelately Creek, changing its natural flow and hindering the return of salmon. The creek had been relocated, straightened and wetlands had been dredged and filled to facilitate roads and the log yard that operated there from 1892 until 2001.

Between 2002 and 2005, The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe along with 27 partner agencies took on the task of restoring the Jimmycomelately Creek ecosystem by realigning the creek channel into its historic channel, restoring the estuary, and constructing a new Highway 101 Bridge. One of many successes of the project can be seen in the return of salmon to the creek. In 1999, a mere seven chum spawners were counted. By 2010, more than 4000 returning salmon were counted! 

Click the picture at right to go to the Department of Ecology Coastal Atlas Shoreline Photo site and see how Jimmycomelately Creek and the waterfront was transformed between 1977 and 2016.

“Jimmycomelately Creek” is the official spelling with the United States Board of Geographic Names but you will also see it as “Jimmy Come Lately Creek” (matching the road of the same name) or various hyphenated versions such as “Jimmy-Come-Lately Creek” or “Jimmy Come-Lately Creek.” 

In December 2018, the Tribe successfully petitioned to change the name of the adjacent beach to Littleneck Beach, where native littleneck clams have been harvested for centuries. KUOW radio in Seattle produced a wonderful article with fantastic pictures explaining the Tribe’s history with these clams. 

You can also read more about the Tribe’s work to restore native Olympia Oysters in their aquaculture operations at the south end of the bay from this article featured in the Seattle Times Sunday Magazine from Sept. 22, 2019.

COMMERCIAL SHELLFISH DOCK
If you paddle the southeastern part of the bay you’ll probably spot this large dock building situated out over the water. This dock is owned and was operated by the J & G Gunstone company, a prominent commercial shellfish operation that owned many of the tidelands around the bay. Local aquaculture expert Peter Becker Ph.D., owner of Olympic Aquafarms and former Senior Scientist at Battelle Marine Science Laboratory tells us, “The Gunstone, Johnston and Broder families used the dock to land fish and crab until the 1970’s and a clam processing plant stood on the site with a track up the pier to move hand cars of produce to trucks.” (See our shellfish section below for more info.) 

UPDATE: Winter 2018-2019 took its toll on this structure and the Northeast side fell into the bay and the rest of it is now partially collapsed. 

BEYOND THE BAY
NEW DUNGENESS LIGHTHOUSE – There is so much history, wildlife and scenic beauty here we could easily add another webpage dedicated solely to this first class paddle destination. Launch from Cline Spit or Dungeness Landing (very shallow here, keep an eye on the tides!) Check out their website and remember to call ahead if you want to land at the lighthouse. 

PROTECTION ISLAND – Rising from the waters of the Salish Sea, just east of Sequim Bay is Protection Island. You’ll spot the island from the north end of the bay and with Mount Baker as a backdrop, it is the centerpiece of one of the most scenic views on the bay. Protection Island is a National Wildlife Refuge and paddlers and boats are required to stay 200 yards offshore. For more information visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife website or check out this article on the island’s caretaker from the Sequim Gazette. 

BIRDS
The entire Sequim area is a birder’s paradise and Sequim Bay is no exception. Clallam County’s bird list is at 370 with 284 spotted in 2014. Some birds are here year round but each changing season brings a new and diverse assortment of waterfowl and shorebirds that make Sequim Bay their seasonal home. American Wigeons, Buffleheads, Glaucous-winged and Olympic Gulls, Dunlins, Western Sandpipers, Black-bellied Plovers, Green-winged Teals, Cormorants and Mallards are some of the most common you’ll see. Before paddling we highly recommend stopping by the Dungeness River Audubon Center in Sequim to get an idea of what birds to look for during your trip out. BirdWeb is another great resource to help identify birds you’ve seen.

Geese and Ducks
Brant, Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan, Gadwall, Eurasian and American Wigeon, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Greater Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser

Loons
Red-throated Loon, Pacific Loon, Common Loon

Grebes 
Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Western Grebe, Eared Grebe

Cormorants  
Pelagic Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant

Herons
Great Blue Heron

Osprey, Eagles, Hawks 
Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk

Rails and Coots 
American Coot

Shorebirds
Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Black Oystercatcher, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Marbled Godwit, Sanderling, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Dunlin, Long-billed and Short-billed Dowitcher, Wilson’s Snipe

Gulls, Terns 
Heermann’s Gull, Mew Gull, Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, Herring Gull, Thayer’s Gull, Western Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Olympic Gull, Caspian Tern, Common Tern

Alcids
Common Murre, Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled Murrelet, Rhinoceros Auklet

Kingfishers
Belted Kingfisher

Falcons
Merlin, Peregrine Falcon

MAMMALS
HARBOR SEALS – During most paddle trips you’ll spot at least one harbor seal patrolling the bay and usually quite a few. Often they spot you first and you might be surprised when you turn around and find them following you as you paddle. The newborns start to appear in July and you’ll see them sticking close to their mother’s side.

ORCAS – One historical source mentions that at one time, orcas made a yearly appearance inside the bay during March and April. Currently they can be found traversing the waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound and will make a rare visit to the area. Orcas were spotted in the bay on Sept. 3, 2015 and at Port Williams in June of 2011. Unconfirmed report of an orca on Aug. 4th, 2019 to a Sequim photography Facebook group. Orcas made another appearance on Sept. 18, 2023 and again August 2024. Needless to say, they make regular visits. 

FISH, SHELLFISH AND CRAB
Fish, shellfish and crab have sustained the S’Klallam people for thousands of years at Sequim Bay and continued for many years to provide commercial and sport fisherman with an abundant bounty. At one time, herring were so plentiful that Tribal fisherman would use a rake like tool to simply pull them into the canoe.  

The signs of shellfish life are unmistakable with empty and broken shells scattered at nearly every shoreline. The J & G Gunstone company were the most notable commercial clam harvesters at Sequim Bay. According to local aquaculture expert Peter Becker Ph.D., owner of Olympic Aquafarms and former Senior Scientist at Battelle Marine Science Laboratory, “Gunstone and Johnson started farming native littleneck clams (Prothaca staminea), called the Washington Clam, in 1923 and own some 20,000 feet of shoreline in Sequim and Discovery Bays, as well as the adjacent tidelands. They have shipped their quality shellfish to Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah and other states ever since.”  In recent decades, shellfishing harvests have become unreliable due to water quality issues with seasonal closures due to red tide blooms. Some of the beaches are often closed to shellfishing these days due to biotoxins in certain species and you will see warning posted at access points to the beaches. Please see the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website for closures, seasons, and identification help. 

OTHER SEA LIFE
Jellyfish (mostly moon jellies), Ctenophores (comb jellies), Crangon shrimp, Pandalid shrimp, Mysids (opossum shrimps), Spot prawns, Sea stars, Sand dollars, and Anemones, Sea lemon (nudibranch), Hooded (or Lion’s mane) nudibranch

EELGRASS – Paddlers on Sequim Bay will see eelgrass under their boat at almost every shoreline. It plays an important role in the nearshore ecosystem by providing feeding grounds, hiding spots and spawning grounds for fish. Eelgrass beds are essential to the sustainability of the food chain as larger fish and birds feed on the small fish and other invertebrates hiding in the eelgrass.