Explorer James Cook 1789-07-04 1st US tariff act signed by President Washington Thomas Jefferson, 1st Secretary of State 1790-03-22 Thomas Jefferson becomes the 1st US Secretary of State under President Washington 3rd US President Thomas Jefferson 1792-05-08 British Captain George Vancouver sights and names Mt Rainier, Washington
1792 Robert Gray explores the lower Columbia River. George Vancouver (British) explores and names Puget Sound, and Lieutenant William Broughton explores the Columbia River up to Point Vancouver. Spain establishes the first non-Indian settlement in Washington at Neah Bay. Lewis and Clark on the Lower Columbia River
Patsy Clark – Washington Mining Magnate & the Haunted Clark Mansion D.B. Cooper – Disappearing in the Wilderness Imagine You Are Marie Dorion Outlaw Roy Gardner’s Buried Loot Chief Joseph – Leader of the Nez Perce and a True American McCarty Gang of the Northwest Ezra Meeker – Oregon Trail Pioneer Nez Perce – A Hard Fight For Their Homeland
- 16th Century Washington History Timeline
- 18th Century Washington History Timeline
- 19th Century Washington History Timeline
- 20th Century Washington History Timeline
- 21st Century Washington History Timeline
1543- Pacific Northwest claimed by Spain 1592- Discovery of Strait of Juan de Fuca claimed by Juan de Fuca 1579- The Washington coast sighted by Sir Francis Drake and claimed for England
1741-43- Russian explorers reach Alaskan islands and coast and trade with native peoples for sea otter pelts. 1774- Juan Perez commands the first Spanish expedition to explore the Northwest Coast and sights the Olympic Mountains. 1775- Bruno de Hezeta lands on the Washington coast and claims the area for Spain. On his return south, he sees the mout...
1803-1806:Captains William Clark and Meriwether Lewis lead the Corps of Discovery's Transcontinental Expedition of the lands west of the Missouri River. 1805-1806- Lewis and Clark enter Washington and stay at Fort Clatsop on the south side of the mouth of the Columbia River. 1807-1811- David Thompson charts the Columbia River. 1811- 1. John Jacob A...
1900- Frederick Weyerhaeuser sets up a logging business in western Washington. 1902- Reclamation Service begins irrigation project in Yakima and Okanogan valleys to facilitate farming. 1903- Iron Chink fish cleaning machine invented by Seattleite Edmund A. Smith. 1905- 1. Under the Dawes Act, tribal lands on the south half of the Colville.Reservati...
2001- Seattle Communist Party office closed. 2003- Green River killer, Gary Ridgway, confessed to murdering 48 women 2006- State court backed gay marriage ban 2007- Boeing unveiled environmentally friendly 787 Dreamliner jet 2010- Three U.S. soldiers based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord charged with murder in deaths of three Afghan civilians 2011- Ama...
State Resources » 50 States » History » Famous People Washington Famous People Famous Americans: History and Biographies Links to histories and biographies of the famous people of Washington. Many famous people of Washington have made significant contributions to the history of our nation and the state of Washington.
Marcus Whitman by Paul Kane Becoming a State Throughout the early 1800s, the land of Washington was shared between the United States and Great Britain. In 1846, the United States gained control of the region through the Oregon Treaty.
1787 - Charles William Barkley discovers the Strait of Juan de Fuca and names it after the Spanish name of Ioánnis Fokás. 1790 - Manuel Quimper names the San Juan Islands while exploring the region for Spain. [4] 1792 George Vancouver explores and names the Puget Sound.