Friends & Neighbors

Our Friends and Neighbors

Douglas Squirrel. Photo courtesy of Steve Wyant.

The historic, natural flow of Sequalitchew Creek runs from Sequalitchew Lake, through Edmond Marsh, down the creek canyon and out to Puget Sound. The creek corridor is home to hundreds of species, all of which are now threatened by proposed expanded gravel mining by Glacier Northwest/Cal Portland.

It all started here – in DuPont, Washington. Sequalitchew Creek played a vital role in the settlement and development of not only DuPont, but the State of Washington. Our state’s history began at Sequalitchew Creek when the first European settlement party to land in Washington State arrived in 1831. There are many “firsts’ that are associated with our city, including the first Fourth of July Celebration West of the Mississippi in 1841 and many more.

The intent of the 1994 Settlement Agreement to which the City of DuPont is a signatory is to protect Sequalitchew Creek. CalPortland’s proposed mine expansion plan violates this agreement, and the City of DuPont is ignoring it, violating their own Sensitive Area Municipal Codes and Ordinances.

Read A 20th Century History of Sequalitchew Creek to learn this vital link to Washington State history and ecology.

Pileated Woodpeckers

A 20TH CENTURY HISTORY OF SEQUALITCHEW CREEK
October, 1994. READ THE REPORT (7 MB download)

This is the most comprehensive document ever written about the history of the creek starting with E.I DuPont de Nemours & Company arrival in western Washington in 1906. The company bought more than 3,200 acres of land from the established settlers. (See map of settlers’ parcels*.) The parcel included the original location of the Sequalitchew Nisqually village, and the Hudson Bay Company’s Fort Nisqually which was the first European settlement in Washington State. The archaeological significance of sites along Sequalitchew Creek which were used extensively by the Hudson Bay Company, is still being investigated; this also includes the Methodist Episcopal Mission Site which is located close to the Sequalitchew Creek Trail.

Red legged frog

The 1843 Hudson Bay Company site was donated by Weyerhaeuser to an archaeological society for investigation and preservation. Unfortunately, the 1831 site is currently inaccessible the public and Nisqually Descendants because it is surrounded by The Home (Golf) Course; the perimeter is owned by the California Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTR S).