Seattle City Map Poster

About Seattle

Archaeological excavations suggest that Native Americans have inhabited the Seattle area for at least 4,000 years. By the time the first European settlers arrived, the people (subsequently called Duwamish) occupied at least seventeen villages in the areas around Elliott Bay.The first European to visit Seattle was George Vancouver , in May 1792 during his 1791–95 expedition to chart the Pacific Northwest . In 1851, a large party led by Luther Collins made a location on land where present-day Downtown Seattle now stands. Thirteen days later, members of Collins' party claimed land on Alki Point on behalf of Thomas Mercer , an officer of Fort Victoria . The rest of his group returned to Portland and Vancouver before winter set in; however others stayed or returned later. For several years they jointly ran a trading post there (called "Cantonment" or "Fort Columbia"). The site had been previously visited by Europeans including Charles Wilkes during Wilkes' 1841 exploration and mapmaking expedition along Puget Sound.