Quilcene, Washington

Quilcene, Washington
Census-designated place
Nickname:  "Pearl of the Peninsula"
Location of Quilcene, Washington
Coordinates: 47°49′55″N122°53′7″W / 47.83194°N 122.88528°W / 47.83194; -122.88528 [1]
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Jefferson
Area
• Total	9.2 sq mi (23.8 km2)
• Land	8.8 sq mi (22.8 km2)
• Water	0.4 sq mi (1.0 km2)
Elevation	43 ft (13 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	598
• Density	65/sq mi (25/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	98376
Area code	360
FIPS code	53-56975 [2]
GNIS feature ID	1524768 [3]

Quilcene is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 598 at the 2020 census.

The community is located on the Olympic Peninsula at the head of Quilcene Bay, an arm of the seawater-filled glacial valley of Hood Canal. ^[4] Each year many visitors enjoy the panoramic views of Mount Rainier, Puget Sound and Seattle from the 2,804-foot (855 m) summit of nearby Mount Walker, the only peak facing Puget Sound that has a road to its summit. ^[4] The Olympic National Forest lands in Quilcene hold Douglas fir, spring-blooming Pacific rhododendrons, Oregon grape, and salal. ^[5] Leland Lake is located north of Quilcene.

Quilcene oysters are named after the community. ^[6] Quilcene has one of the largest oyster hatcheries in the world.^{[ citation needed ]}

History

Early inhabitants of the area were the Twana people, inhabiting the length of Hood Canal, and rarely invading other tribes. ^[7] The name "Quilcene" comes from the Twana word /qʷəʔlsíd/, referring to a tribal group ^[8] and the name of an aboriginal Twana village and community on Quilcene Bay. ^[9] The Quilcene ("salt-water people") were a distinct band of these people. ^[10]

The Wilkes Expedition charted the place as "Kwil-sid" in 1841. Hampden Cottle, a logger from Maine, and several other families settled there in 1860 and eventually established a town. ^[11] The town was originally situated on the banks of the Quilcene River, before being moved to higher ground. ^[12] The economy in Quilcene was based primarily on farming and logging, and by 1880 the town had a population of 53. ^[11]

The Tubal Cain Mining Company in 1902 claimed that Quilcene would become the center for the smelting of iron, copper, gold, and manganese that was expected to be found in the Olympic Mountains; however, little ore was ever discovered. ^[11]

Circa 1910, Green's Shingle Mill was a large part of Quilcene's history. ^[13]

Geography

USFWS Quilcene National Fish Hatchery

Quilcene is located in eastern Jefferson County at the north end of Quilcene Bay, an arm of Dabob Bay, which extends north from Hood Canal. The Big Quilcene River forms the southern edge of the community, and the Little Quilcene River forms the northeastern edge; both arise in the Olympic Mountains to the west and flow past the town into Quilcene Bay.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 9.2 square miles (23.8 km²), of which 8.8 square miles (22.8 km²) are land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²), or 4.25%, are water. ^[14]

The Olympic National Forest is west and south of the community. The 2,804-foot (855 m) summit of Mount Walker, ^[15] 2 miles (3 km) southwest of the CDP, offers views of Mount Jupiter, Buckhorn Mountain, Mount Constance, Mount Baker and the town of Quilcene. ^[5]

At the southwest edge of the Quilcene CDP, at the union of the Big Quilcene River and Penny Creek, the Quilcene National Fish Hatchery has been operating since 1911. There, the US Fish and Wildlife Service raises coho salmon for on-station release and provides coho salmon eggs and fingerlings for tribal programs. ^[16]

Climate

Quilcene experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) and is almost categorised as part of the Csb climate category, receiving slightly more than 30 mm (1.2 in), the threshold for Cfb inclusion.

Climate data for Quilcene
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	64 (18)	71 (22)	78 (26)	84 (29)	91 (33)	96 (36)	100 (38)	98 (37)	99 (37)	83 (28)	74 (23)	65 (18)	100 (38)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	45 (7)	50 (10)	56 (13)	61 (16)	67 (19)	72 (22)	77 (25)	79 (26)	73 (23)	62 (17)	51 (11)	44 (7)	61 (16)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	31 (−1)	33 (1)	35 (2)	38 (3)	43 (6)	48 (9)	51 (11)	50 (10)	46 (8)	40 (4)	35 (2)	31 (−1)	40 (5)
Record low °F (°C)	3 (−16)	5 (−15)	12 (−11)	27 (−3)	27 (−3)	34 (1)	35 (2)	38 (3)	29 (−2)	22 (−6)	5 (−15)	4 (−16)	3 (−16)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	7.39 (188)	7.38 (187)	5.93 (151)	3.81 (97)	2.82 (72)	2.13 (54)	1.29 (33)	1.24 (31)	1.60 (41)	4.13 (105)	7.99 (203)	8.65 (220)	54.36 (1,382)
Source: [17]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2000	591		—
2010	596		0.8%
2020	598		0.3%
US Decennial Census [1] 2020 Census [18]

As of the 2010 census, 596 people lived in 312 households in the CDP, ^[19] representing a population increase of 6 and a household increase of 69 over the 2000 census). With 123 children under the age of 18, 20.6% are school age or younger.

In 2000, the population density was 60.6 people per square mile (23.4/km²). There were 284 housing units at an average density of 29.1/sq mi (11.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 84.77% White, 1.18% African American, 3.55% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 0.85% from other races, and 9.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.35% of the population.

In 2000, there were 243 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.95.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the CDP was $40,385, and the median income for a family was $45,313. Males had a median income of $36,500 versus $24,063 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $17,335. About 11.3% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Culture

The Olympic Music Festival, based in Quilcene for 32 years until 2016, is a casual classical music event featuring world-renowned musicians that was held at a turn-of-the-century dairy farm on 55 acres (220,000 m²) of farmland. The Olympic Music Festival was voted "Best Classical Music Festival" by readers of the Seattle Weekly . The music festival was founded in 1984 by Alan Iglitzin, originally intending it to be a summer home for the Philadelphia String Quartet. ^[20] The festival moved to nearby Fort Worden in 2016.

Notable people

• Keith Lazelle, American photographer

See also

• Quilcene Historical Museum
• Tarboo Unit

References

1. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
3. "Quilcene". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
4. Washington Byways Guide Book, Tony Huegel, Wilderness Press, 2003, ISBN   0-89997-299-3.
5. Mt. Walker Trail #894, Olympic National Forest.
6. "Scenic Driving Washington", Steve Giordano, Globe Pequot, Falcon Guides Scenic Driving, 1997, ISBN   1-56044-577-7. p. 80
7. Twana Edward Sheriff Curtis. The North American Indian. Volume 9, 1907-1930, p.30-31
8. Bright, William (2004). Native American Placenames of the United States. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 404. ISBN   978-0-8061-3598-4 . Retrieved September 1, 2019.
9. Elmendorf, William (1993). Twana Narratives: Native Historical Accounts of a Coast Salish Culture. UBC Press. p. 279. ISBN   978-0-7748-0475-2 . Retrieved September 1, 2019.
10. Hiking Adventures with Children: Southern Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula, Kari Jones and Sachiko Kiyooka, Heritage House, 2005
11. "Jefferson County, Thumbnail History", HistoryLink.org Essay 7472, Daryl C. McClary, September 26, 2005, T 2007.
12. Our Native American Legacy: Northwest Towns with Indian names, Sandy Nestor, Caxton Press, 2001, ISBN   0-87004-401-X
13. "Winona Prill writes Quilcene heritage history book", The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader, Mari McGrady, May 2007.
14. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Quilcene CDP, Washington". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved January 4, 2019.^{[ dead link ]}
15. "Olympic National Forest - Mt. Walker Viewpoint".
16. Quilcene National Fish Hatchery, US Fish and Wildlife Service
17. "weather.com - Aches & Pains - Monthly Climatology". Weather.com. August 2011. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
18. "Census Bureau profile: Quilcene, Washington". United States Census Bureau. May 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
19. https://www.census.gov/popfinder/?fl=53:5356975 ^{[ permanent dead link ]}
20. "Olympic Music Festival". Olympic Music Festival.

External links

• Jefferson County Library
• Olympic National Forest
• Olympic National Park
• Quilcene and Brinnon Chamber of Commerce
• Quilcene Historical Museum
• Quilcene National Fish Hatchery, US Fish and Wildlife Service
• Quilcene School District