Quilcene is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in Jefferson County,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, United States. The population was 596 at the 2010 census. The community is located on the

Olympic Peninsula The Olympic Peninsula is a large arm of land in western Washington that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle, and contains Olympic National Park. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the ...

at the head of Quilcene Bay, an arm of the seawater-filled glacial valley of

Hood Canal Hood Canal is a fjord forming the western lobe, and one of the four main basins,''Washington Byways Guide Book'', Tony Huegel, Wilderness Press, 2003, . Each year many visitors enjoy the panoramic views of

Mount Rainier Mount Rainier (), indigenously known as Tahoma, Tacoma, Tacobet, or təqʷubəʔ, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With a s ...

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

and

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

from the summit of nearby Mount Walker, the only peak facing Puget Sound that has a road to its summit. The

Olympic National Forest Olympic National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Washington, USA. With an area of , it nearly surrounds Olympic National Park and the Olympic Mountain range. Olympic National Forest contains parts of Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jeffer ...

lands in Quilcene hold

Douglas fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three va ...

, spring-blooming Pacific

rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...

Oregon grape ''Mahonia aquifolium'', the Oregon grape or holly-leaved barberry, is a species of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae, native to western North America. It is an evergreen shrub growing tall and wide, with pinnate leaves consisting of sp ...

, and

salal ''Gaultheria shallon'' is an evergreen shrub in the heather family (Ericaceae), native to western North America. In English, it is known as salal, shallon, or (mainly in Britain) gaultheria. Description ''Gaultheria shallon'' is tall, spra ...

.Mt. Walker Trail #894
Olympic National Forest. Leland Lake is located north of Quilcene. Quilcene oysters are named after the community."Scenic Driving Washington", Steve Giordano, Globe Pequot, Falcon Guides Scenic Driving, 1997, . p. 80 Quilcene has one of the largest

oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not al ...

hatcheries in the world.

History

Early inhabitants of the area were the

Twana Twana is the collective name for a group of nine Coast Salish peoples in the northern-mid Puget Sound region, most of whom are extinct or are now subsumed into other groups and organized tribes. The Skokomish are the main surviving group and se ...

people, inhabiting the length of Hood Canal, and rarely invading other tribes.Twana
Edward Sheriff Curtis. ''The North American Indian''. Volume 9, 1907-1930, p.30-31 The name "Quilcene" comes from the

word /qʷəʔlsíd/, referring to a tribal group and the name of an aboriginal Twana village and community on Quilcene Bay. The Quilcene ("salt-water people") were a distinct band of these people.''Hiking Adventures with Children: Southern Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula'', Kari Jones and Sachiko Kiyooka, Heritage House, 2005 The

Wilkes Expedition The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby ...

charted the place as "Kwil-sid" in 1841. Hampden Cottle, a logger from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, and several other families settled there in 1860 and eventually established a town."Jefferson County, Thumbnail History", HistoryLink.org Essay 7472, Daryl C. McClary, September 26, 2005
T 2007. The town was originally situated on the banks of the Quilcene River, before being moved to higher ground.''Our Native American Legacy: Northwest Towns with Indian names'', Sandy Nestor, Caxton Press, 2001, The economy in Quilcene was based primarily on farming and logging, and by 1880 the town had a population of 53. 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 The Olympic Mountains are a mountain range on the Olympic Peninsula of the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are not especially high – Mount Olympus is the highest at ; however, the easter ...

; however, little ore was ever discovered. Circa 1910, Green's Shingle Mill was a large part of Quilcene's history."Winona Prill writes Quilcene heritage history book"
''The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader'', Mari McGrady, May 2007.

Culture

The

Olympic Music Festival The Olympic Music Festival based in Port Townsend, Washington, is a classical music event founded by Alan Iglitzin. For 32 seasons, concerts were held in a barn nestled on 55 acres of farmland in Quilcene, Washington. The 2016 season was prese ...

, based in Quilcene for 32 years until 2016, is a casual

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

event featuring world-renowned musicians that was held at a turn-of-the-century dairy farm on of farmland. The Olympic Music Festival was voted "Best Classical Music Festival" by readers of the ''

Seattle Weekly The ''Seattle Weekly'' is an alternative biweekly distributed newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded by Darrell Oldham and David Brewster as ''The Weekly.'' Its first issue was published on March 31, 1976. The newspaper ...

''. The music festival was founded in 1984 by Alan Iglitzin, originally intending it to be a summer home for the Philadelphia String Quartet. The festival moved to nearby

Fort Worden Fort Worden Historical State Park is located in Port Townsend, Washington, on originally known as Fort Worden, a United States Army Coast Artillery Corps base constructed to protect Puget Sound from invasion by sea. Fort Worden was named after U ...

in 2016.

Geography

Quilcene is located in eastern Jefferson County at (47.831838, -122.885339), at the north end of Quilcene Bay, an arm of Dabob Bay, which extends north from

Hood Canal Hood Canal is a fjord forming the western lobe, and one of the four main basins,Big Quilcene River forms the southern edge of the community, and the Little Quilcene River forms the northeastern edge; both arise in the

to the west and flow past the town into Quilcene Bay. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 4.25%, are water. The

is west and south of the community. The summit of Mount Walker, southwest of the CDP, offers views of Mount Jupiter, Buckhorn Mountain,

Mount Constance Mount Constance is a peak in the Olympic Mountains of Washington and the third highest in the range. It is the most visually prominent peak on Seattle's western skyline. Despite being almost as tall as the ice-clad Mount Olympus to the west, Mou ...

Mount Baker Mount Baker (Lummi: '; nok, Kw’eq Smaenit or '), also known as Koma Kulshan or simply Kulshan, is a active glacier-covered andesitic stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the North Cascades of Washington in the United States. Mount ...

and the town of Quilcene. 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 The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

raises

coho salmon The coho salmon (''Oncorhynchus kisutch;'' Karuk: achvuun) is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family (biology), family and one of the five Pacific salmon species. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". The scientif ...

for on-station release and provides coho salmon eggs and fingerlings for tribal programs.Quilcene National Fish Hatchery
US Fish and Wildlife Service

Climate

Quilcene experiences an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Cfb'') and is almost categorised as part of the ''Csb'' climate category, receiving slightly more than , the threshold for ''Cfb'' inclusion.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, 596 people lived in 312 households in the CDP,https://www.census.gov/popfinder/?fl=53:5356975 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 Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

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 White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.18%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 3.55% Native American, 0.34%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.17%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.85% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 9.14% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

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 Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $17,335. About 11.3% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 20.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Keith Lazelle, American photographer

History

Culture

Geography

Climate

Demographics

Notable people

See also

References

External links