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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