Bellingham in Whatcom County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)
Early Bellingham Bay
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, July 21, 2021
1. Early Bellingham Bay Marker (lower panel)
Inscription.
Early Bellingham Bay. . , Spanish explorers, the first Europeans to enter this bay in 1791, named the open, 50-square-mile body of water Seno de Gaston (Gulf of Gaston). The following year, on June 11, 1792, the British, under Captain George Vancouver, put their own name upon the water, Bellingham Bay, in recognition of the Sir William Bellingham, controller of the British Navy stores who had provisioned the expedition. Throughout the Northwest and coastal British Columbia, names still reflect their Spanish and British origins, from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to Vancouver, British Columbia. , Three natural resources - timber, coal and fish - fueled the early development of Bellingham. 'Blanket' Bill Jarman, a sailor and adventurer who came to the area through the Hudson Bay Company trading post at Victoria, was the first white settler in Whatcom County, establishing a claim and settling in the area with his native wife in 1848.
Following the California Gold Rush, and to meet strong demand for lumber following great fires in San Francisco, Henry Roeder and R.V. Peabody formed a partnership, traveled north in 1852, and built a lumber mill where Whatcom Creek meets the bay. By 1858 the little hamlet of Whatcom had grown to 100 inhabitants, but was soon inundated by thousands of fortune seekers following the great Fraser River Gold Rush and seeking a short cut to the gold claims up the Fraser River in British Columbia.
For a period during the 1850's mines on and near the shore of Bellingham Bay were the exclusive source of coal shipped to San Francisco. Three ships routinely made the 15-day southerly trip, returning with goods from California to serve the frontier community.
During subsequent decades, the four original towns on Bellingham – Fairhaven, Bellingham, Sehome and Whatcom alternately grew and shrank depending upon the various fortunes of lumber, coal, mining, colonization, shipping and railroads. They ultimately united under the single name of Bellingham in 1904. ,
Spanish explorers, the first
Europeans to enter this bay in 1791,
named the open, 50-square-mile body
of water Seno de Gaston (Gulf of
Gaston). The following year, on June
11, 1792, the British, under Captain
George Vancouver, put their own
name upon the water, Bellingham
Bay, in recognition of the Sir William
Bellingham, controller of the British
Navy stores who had provisioned the
expedition. Throughout the Northwest
and coastal British Columbia, names
still reflect their Spanish and British
origins, from the Strait of Juan de
Fuca, to Vancouver, British Columbia.
Three natural resources - timber, coal and fish -
fueled the early development of Bellingham. 'Blanket'
Bill Jarman, a sailor and adventurer
who came to the area through the
Hudson Bay Company trading post at
Victoria, was the first white settler in
Whatcom County, establishing a claim
and settling in the area with his native
wife in 1848.
Following the California Gold
Rush, and to meet strong demand for
lumber following great fires in San
Francisco, Henry Roeder and R.V.
Peabody formed a partnership,
traveled north in 1852, and built a
lumber mill where Whatcom Creek
meets the bay. By 1858 the little
hamlet of Whatcom had grown to 100
inhabitants, but was soon inundated
by thousands of fortune seekers
following the great
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Fraser River Gold
Rush and seeking a short cut to the
gold claims up the Fraser River in
British Columbia.
For a period during the 1850's
mines on and near the shore of
Bellingham Bay were the exclusive
source of coal shipped to San
Francisco. Three ships routinely made
the 15-day southerly trip, returning
with goods from California to serve
the frontier community.
During subsequent decades, the
four original towns on Bellingham
– Fairhaven, Bellingham,
Sehome and Whatcom alternately
grew and shrank depending upon the
various fortunes of lumber, coal,
mining, colonization, shipping and
railroads. They ultimately united
under the single name of Bellingham
in 1904.
Location. 48° 43.321′ N, 122° 30.761′ W. Marker is in Bellingham, Washington, in Whatcom County. Marker can be reached from Harris Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 355 Harris Avenue, Bellingham WA 98225, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. This marker is the third of nine related markers surrounding the perimeter of the Bellingham Cruise Terminal.
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, July 21, 2021
3. Early Bellingham Bay Marker - wide view
4. Marker inset: "Blanket" Bill Jarman
"Blanket" Bill Jarman, the first White settler on Bellingham Bay, won his name for a ransom of blankets paid by to his Indian captors.
1885
5. Marker inset: the town of Sehome
In 1885 the town of Sehome, now downtown Bellingham, was a small cluster of wooden buildings, later merging with three other settlements to form today's Bellingham.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 27, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 27, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 307 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 27, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
