The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-05-21
} After Many
Years
We Talk About Tides
And Affairs OF Men
And Lightly Touch
On Some History
But N All Leads
To Port Townsend

But II All Leads
To Port townsend
By Y. t. SHORT
TIME and tide wait for no man
i but each have an effect on
the affairs Of men and destiny
NJ nations. Had 1t not been Tor
the direction of the tide off the
mouth Of the Columbia river
this spring a hundred ana fifty
wears ago. the great Northwest
empire - Washington. Oregon
Idaho and Montana - might
have been British territory.
What brought this up was the
invitation from Port Townsend
to come down sound next Sstur-
dav and help dedicate monu-
ment marking the hundred and
fiftieth anniversary of the nam
ing of that place by Capt. George
Vancouver, British navigator
Cant. Vancouver sailed into the
straits the last Of April. Sew
.ral days later he found and
named Discovery bay. The
point Of the peninsula at the
entrance To Puget Sound SEEM
ed to Vancouver to he the logi-
cal location for a seaport and
he named the spot on the shore
Port Townsend" honoring Lord
Townsend. a member of the Brit
ish nobility.
II Capt. Vancouver had stopped
at Port Townsend instead OF
venturing up Puget Sound, his
name would have been held IN
much greater veneration in these
parts by some persons than 1t Is
now. For in casting about for
opportunities to honor his coun-
trymen Vancouver spied the
shining crest of Mount Tahoma
or Takhoma and tagged it with
the name of Rainier" honoring
another of the British nobility
who was TO be further exalted
by having a brand of beer named
for him. In all the years since
the town of Tacoma was group
of shacks on the waterfront,
nothing has created such bitter
controversy as the name Of the
mountain"
Here the story goes back to
the discovery of the Columbia
river by Capt. Gray. He had
been in the Straits of Fuca and
was on his way south when ne
met Capt. Vancouver sailing
north. The ships were hove to
and the two captains exchanged
information. Capt. Gray told
Capt. Vancouver about the
straits and Vancouver told him
about what appeared to be the
entrance to a bay some distance
south with a bad tide.
As he resumed his journey
south. Capt. Gray decided to
have a look at the bay" With
better luck than Vancouver he
sailed in close enough TO discover
that it was the mouth of river.
He negotiated the bar and went
I'D stream far enough to con-
vince him that he had discovered
a great river. He called 1t Co
lumbia," the name of his ship.
and claimed the land through
which IL flowed as United States
territory.
Going back to Port Townsend
where the Vancouver designa-
ton will be commemorated next
Saturday, it became a great sea-
port. For many years it was
the port OF entry for Puget
Sound. 1t had fine hotels and
business blocks. The shipping
business, including the hiring Of
crews for sailing ships, was
profitable. Port Townsend be-
d came one Of the most prosperous
towns in the northwest.
The boom was at its height
when steamships began TO crowd
out the sailers. Politics moved
the port of entry and other hap
penings contributed TO a pretty
complete downfall.
For some years Port Town
send WAS a sort Of ghost town,
but right now II IL staging q
comeback that promises 10 not
only restore but exceed the
former glory. There is lot
Of good earth around Port Town
send and natural resources that
the people need. There is a lot
Of enterprises there. too, else
there would not have been the
invitation 10 join in the celeora-
ton Saturday.
What happens next, nobody
knows, but the odds today are
that Port Townsend is going TO do
fun honor 10 its distinguished
namessks, no matter how big a
man he might have been.