Washington Timeline History

Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress bombers under construction, c. 1942 Home USA States Washington Timeline History 1543: Spain claimed Pacific Northwest 1592: Juan de Fuca discovered Strait of Juan de Fuca 1543: Spain claimed Pacific Northwest 1579: Sir Francis Drake claimed Washington coast for England 1774: Juan Perez led first Spanish expedition to Northwest Coast, discovered Olympic Mountains 1775: Bruno de Hezeta landed on Washington coast, claimed area for Spain 1778: James Cook explored and charted the Northwest Coast 1792: George Vancouver explored and named Puget Sound; Spain established first non-Indian settlement in Washington at Neah Bay 1805-1806: Lewis and Clark reached Washington 1811: John Jacob Astor built Fort Astoria, part of Pacific Fur Company at Columbia River mouth 1825: Forts Vancouver and Colvile established on Columbia River by Hudson Bay Company 1841: Charles Wilkes led United States naval expedition to explore Washington 1842: John C. Fremont witnessed eruption of Mount St. Helens 1847: Cayuse Indians attacked Whitman Mission in Walla Walla 1851: First settlers arrived at Seattle site 1853: Washington Territory created. 1855-58: Yakima Indian Wars occurred 1858: Cascade Railroad Company began operating in Columbia River Gorge; Indian wars ended 1860: Gold and silver discovered in Okanogan 1886 Coal mining town of Roslyn founded 1889 Washington became 42nd state 1897-99: Klondike Gold Rush brought thousands to Seattle 1899: Mount Rainier National Park established 1909: Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition held in Seattle 1910: Women won right to vote in Washington 1933: Grand Coulee Dam construction began 1937: Bonneville Dam on Columbia River completed 1941: Grand Coulee Dam completed 1962: World Fair held in Seattle 1974: Expo '74 World's Fair held in Spokane 1975: Microsoft founded 1976: First woman governor, Dixy Lee Ray, elected 1980: Mount St. Helens erupted 2001: Communist Party office closed in Seattle Try Amazon Prime Video For Free