Fort Nisqually Living History Museum &
Point Defiance Park, Tacoma, WA

Our Stay in Eatonville, WA

A Day at Point Defiance Park, Tacoma, WA

After a few days of hiking, we went to Tacoma, WA, to visit the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum in Point Defiance Park. The museum shows what life was like on Puget Sound in 1855. The museum, founded in 1933 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), is a re-establishment of the Hudson’s Bay Company outpost originally located in DuPont, WA. Only two structures from the original location are preserved, the Factor’s House and Granary. Both are listed as National Historic Landmarks.

The Factor’s house, completed in 1855 (restored in 2003), in a, for that time, modern “Yankee Style” using milled lumber, is large with a dining room, parlor, master bedroom, and a children’s bedroom. The kitchen, wash house, cellar, and outhouse were built close to the house in separate buildings.

The Granary, built in 1850 to store wheat, oats, barley, peas, and produce, was moved in 1933 to the park after it had been saved from demolition at its original location.

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After our visit, we continued strolling through the beautiful park, which is surrounded on three sides by Puget Sound and rises approximately 300 feet above the shore. This clarifies the former strategic importance of the location for both the Puyallup People, who once lived on this land, and the U.S. Navy, which established a military reservation here from 1840 to 1888. For us, the park provided stunning views over the water.

We could not resist grabbing a late lunch at Anthony’s. On a clear day, we could have seen Mount Rainier. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the ferry, the calm Puget Sound, and the delicious food.