Dupont, WA A Summarized History       Click here to view DuPont's City Data Northwest Landing was first seen by outsiders in 1792, when British Captain George Vancouver and a party of explorers cruised down the body of water he named Puget Sound.

In 1832, William Ouverie and "two other hands" landed on the shore of Puget Sound at the mouth of Sequalitchew Creek, to start trading with the Indians.  They were left with "a keg of nails, a bag of potatoes, a bag of flour", some breads and other trinkets for barter.  They built a small house 15 x 20 during the first twelve days they were here.

In 1833, the Hudson's Bay Company set up shop on the site in a trading post called Fort Nisqually. The company raised livestock and crops to sell to Russian outposts in Alaska, customers around the Pacific Rim and back home in Britain. Some of the trees planted at the fort still bear fruit. (Fort Nisqually's buildings were moved in 1934 to Point Defiance Park in Tacoma.) In 1994 the site was donated to the Archaeological Conservancy, a national preservation organization.

The 1833 site can still be viewed today as golfers play on DuPont's championship golf course, The Home Course.  In fact it is rumored that the first settlers to the area created a six-hole golf course, which would become the first golf course in the Pacfic Northwest.

In 1841, the bluff overlooking Puget Sound and the mouth of Sequalitchew Creek served as an observatory for a major U.S. scientific expedition. At what is now Northwest Landing, members of the expedition under Captain Charles Wilkes set up an observatory (Wilkes Observatory), charted lower Puget Sound and designated landmark names still in use today.

In the same year during the expedition, DuPont, WA played host to the first 4th of July Celebration west of the Mississippi and on the Pacific Coast, there is a marker in town to indicate its presence too.

In 1869, the U.S. government bought the Hudson's Bay Company property. Hudson's Bay Company moved north to British Columbia, and U.S. homesteaders moved in.

In 1906, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. acquired the property from a variety of owners. The City of DuPont began as a company town -- with more than 100 houses, a church, butcher shop and hotel. DuPont started out as a town of tar-papered covered buildings, which could be built in one day.  This area was known as "Old Town".  Sadly, after construction began in what is now the Historic Village, these houses were torn down and nothing remains of these homes.  In a most eerie twist of fate, the TyVek (R) material used to wrap homes being built by Quadrant Homes in the town of DuPont is made by none other than the DuPont company!

In 1951, residents were allowed to purchase their homes, and the city was incorporated, for the second time (first time in 1912 so the town could sell wine to the workers). The City of DuPont is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as the only former company town in the state in which most of the homes maintain historic integrity.

Adjacent to the historic village, DuPont operated a manufacturing plant for nearly 70 years, producing explosives that were used to blast stumps, clear roadways and fight two World Wars. In 1976, the plant was closed and DuPont sold its 3,200 acres to the Weyerhaeuser Company with the intention of utilizing the site as a wood and paper products manufacturing center and export center for shipment of forest product to the Far East and Europe.

By 1983, the Weyerhaeuser started considering other uses for the site, including industrial, commercial and/or residential uses, independent of the proposed export facility. When changes within the global market dropped for forest industry products by 1985, Weyerhaeuser deemed the site no longer economically feasible for industrial wood manufacturing and export use. Weyerhaeuser changed its focus to land development by creating a new type of livable community often referred to as “New Urbanism.” The objective of Weyerhaeuser was to sell its property and leave after completion of its planned community which it named “Northwest Landing.” Plans to create a livable community included setting aside 1.386 acres of open space (37% of the entire city), including 20 miles of trails.

Surrounding the Historic DuPont Village, a green buffer of 56.17 acres was donated by Weyerhaeuser in 1986 as a designated National Historic District to preserve its character and uniqueness. By 2000, Weyerhaeuser spent more than $1 million during 23 years of archaeological research to identify all significant artifacts and sites while removing contaminated soil left from the DuPont Co.

With their Quadrant Real Estate management subsidiary, Weyerhaeuser retained the same feel of small town character in its Northwest Landing development by keeping the Craftsman style architecture throughout its development of both the residential areas and the business district. The charm that is DuPont remains with the newly created residential neighborhoods with tree lined streets, vicinity parks, porches and garages with both alley and front access. Buyers were able to select from a range of floor plans, with many variations. Design guidelines at NWL made sure that every neighborhood included a variety of styles, colors and materials.

In 1995, Northwest Landing was named “Best Master Planned Community of the Year” by the Master Builders Association. In 1997, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized the Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Company and designer Calthorpe Associates for ‘smart growth principles’ for Northwest Landing. “Smart growth principles’ promotes urban designs that include walkable communities with trails, businesses and public transit in close proximity to a variety of homes.

DUPONT HISTORICAL TIMELINE

Pre-1800s    Native American people make seasonal and permanent homes.

1833    Hudson’s Bay Company builds first Fort Nisqually.

1839 – 1842    Methodist missionaries operate Mission.

1841    U.S. Wilkes Expedition exploring party builds an observatory overlooking Puget Sound to help create charts.

1843    Hudson’s Bay Company builds second Fort Nisqually.

1869    U.S. homesteaders continue to move in as Hudson’s Bay Company withdraws to Canada.

1906    E.I. du Pont de Memours buys up farms for an explosives plant and company town.

1927 – 28    DuPont Company erects concrete markers for the 1833 Fort, 1843 Fort, the Methodist Mission, and the Wilkes Observatory.

1934    Tacoma Young Men’s Business Club removes the oldest surviving structure (1843 Granary) from the site to Point Defiance Park for restoration.

1934    The U.S. removes the ‘Factor’s House’ or ‘Huggins House’ (1853-54) to Point Defiance Park.

1974    1833 Fort Nisqually site placed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Washington Heritage Register.

1975    DuPont Powder Works closes.

1976    Weyerhaeuser Company purchases the DuPont Powder Works 3,200 acre site, which would later be developed as “Northwest Landing.”

1977    First archaeological investigation and first cultural resources agreement completed.

1979    Sequalitchew Village and Nisqually House placed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Washington Heritage Register.    

1987    The DuPont Village Historic District is established and listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Washington Heritage Register.

1988    A cultural resources management program is agreed upon. Northwest Landing construction begins with first roads and utilities.   

1991 Court ordered remediation of DuPont factory site established.

1993    Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Co. donates the site of the Hudson’s Bay Company 1843 Fort Nisqually to the Archaeological Conservancy.

1994    First homeowners move into Northwest Landing.

1995    State Farm, Intel, and Westblock Pacific become corporate employers at Northwest Landing.

1999    The 1843 Fort Nisqually site is nominated for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and the Washington Heritage Register.

2006    DuPont celebrates its centennial.


The DuPont Historical Society Museum was opened in 1977 and organized as a nonprofit corporation in 1982 in recognition of the unique role DuPont has played in the historic and industrial legacy of the Puget Sound region. A steering committee of 10 members is responsible for museum displays, artifacts, programs and staffing. Group tours to view the museum and historical markers can be arranged by calling (253) 964-8121. The museum is open Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

For more historical information, contact Washington State Historical Society Museum (253) 593-2830 or DuPont Historical Museum (253) 964-8121.

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Thanks to the DuPont Historical Society, DuPont Museum, Northwest Landing ROA, May G. Munyan, Robbie Robinson, and especially Ms. Synthia Santos (I Corps and Fort Lewis Historian) for their contributions to this page's content!