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Pt. Grenville & Taholah

For hundreds of years, the Quinault people called the central coast of Washington their home. The Quinault tribal membership includes: Quinault, Quileute, Queets, Hoh, Chehalis, Chinook and Cowlitz. The Quinault and Queets were the original tribes from the Quinault territory. The Quinaults extended beyond todays reservation boundaries in settlements at Chenois Creek, Copalis and Oyhut.

The people of the Quinault Nation have been excellent canoe carvers, hunters and gatherers and prolific basket weavers. Many baskets are on display in the museum.

First contact with Europeans came in 1775 when the Spanish explored this part of the Washington coast. The Sonora Reef and Santiago Beach were both named after the two Spanish ships that visited this area under the command of Captain Bodega. This area was also called Pt. Granville. The U.S. Coast Guard built a station on the point and was later decommissioned. In 1958, the vessel SEAGATE ran aground on Sonora Reef and split in half. Some of the salvaged items are on display in the museum.

Taholah was named Granville by European explorers and was the largest of the Quinault villages. Several others were located up and down the Quinault River. The Quinaults later renamed their village in honor of Chief Taholah who was a signer of the 1855 Quinault River Treaty, also known as the Treaty of Olympia.

Taholah is bordered by the Pacific Ocean with the Quinault River flowing to the beach from Lake Quinault. Taholah has some of the most picturesque beaches on the entire Washington coast. The making of canoes and net fishing still exist here.

 

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