Happening This Weekend

Like so many places around the world things do happen in Gig Harbor, Washington. If you happen to be in the area this weekend Gig Harbor is having a show being put on both this Saturday and Sunday sponsored and at Tides Tavern. They will be showing a reenactment of the Wilkes Expedition when they discovered Gig Harbor and the outlying area in 1841. Besides the reenactment of the expedition they will have a replica of the Gig that Charles Wilkes used to get into the harbor. The mouth of the harbor was not wide enough and too shallow for his ship to enter in so he kept the ship out on Commencement Bay. This is the bay that surrounds Tacoma, Washington.

During this weekend they will be having older boats being shown off as well. For those who want to will be given the chance to go out on the water in one of the boats. I will be going to see what is happening with it all and I will report back. I will be taking my camera as well to see if I can get pictures of these ships and the reenactment of the Wilkes Expedition.

For a history lesson Captain Wilkes was on expedition for the United States Navy also known as the United States Exploring Expedition. He started off in August 1838 where he left Virginia set off for South America where he also visited Australia, Fiji and Hawaii Islands before heading to the west coast of North American. This is when he discovered the Puget Sound which Gig Harbor, Tacoma and Seattle Washington is part of. Also, went north to the Strait of Juan de Fuca as well as the Columbia River near Portland, Oregon. His job for the Navy was not just to explore but to survey. This is the reason so many places in this area he named; however, there are quite a few places in the area that were named after Native Americas for example Seattle, Tacoma, and Puyallup. There will be other activities that will take place in the area as well this weekend. The only places in Washington that were not named by Wilkes or Native Americans are those that were named by Captain George Vancouver of the British Royal Navy who came and explored this area fifty years before Wilkes. Among the places he named besides Vancouver, British Columbia and Vancouver, Washington named after him were Puget Sound the body of water that Seattle and Tacoma are part of. Also he named Mt. Rainier, Mt. Baker, Mt. Saint Helens and Mt. Hood. So many places are named after men who many now do not know who they ever were unless you’re someone who is interested in history. I look forward to learning more about the history of the northwest. I did take Washington History in high school however that was many years ago and I have forgotten most of it. Like it is commonly said if you don’t use it you lose it.