Notable and Notorious

 

 

Tukwila has a rich and remarkable history. Although the city was incorporated in 1908, the story of Tukwila goes way back – and some of it may even surprise you!

• It has been widely believed that the arrival of the Arthur Denny Party at Alki Point around September of 1851 marked the first pioneer settlement in the region. However, the evidence and personal testimony of the early settlers shows that the Luther Collins exploration party arrived on June 21, 1851, thus making his settlement along the Duwamish the very first in King County.

• The Tukwila area is home to a numerous Duwamish creation myth sites. These sites include a hill where Ancients lived to make the four divisions of the world; the Sacred Boulder at the base of the hill where the North Wind settles; Quarry Hill where Chinook Wind’s wife took refuge from North Wind; and Poverty Hill, where Mountain Beaver Woman retired to bear a son.

• Fort Dent, in Tukwila, was a blockhouse built on the orders of Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens, around 1860. It was located near the former confluence of the Black and Green Rivers, which joined to create the Duwamish River. Named for Frederick Dent, the brother-in-law of Ulysses S. Grant, the land had been occupied by the Duwamish tribe, but had been vacated after the signing of the Point Elliot Treaty in 1855. Today the site is home to Fort Dent Park.

• Two early regional leaders in Washington were Tukwila area settlers Luther Collins and Joseph Foster. Collins began his stint in politics as the King County representative and then as King County Commissioner and King County Road District Supervisor. Joseph Foster was elected to the King County grand jury, was a King County legislative representative, and later became County Election Judge. Foster’s home served as the city’s official polling place for many years.

• The word Tukwila is the Duwamish word meaning “land where the hazelnuts grow.” According to historical accounts, hazelnut trees grew in abundance throughout Tukwila 100 years ago.

• The Nelsen Family Historical Residence at 15643 W. Valley Hwy in Tukwila stands as a present day reminder of Tukwila’s history and agriculture of the early 1900s. James and Mary Nelsen, immigrants from Denmark and Germany, homesteaded many acres across the valley and then built the Victorian style home known as the Nelsen House in 1905. The Nelsen’s leased 107 acres of their land to create the Longacres Racetrack. James Nelsen also served as the director of the First National Bank of Renton and the director of the King County Dairyman’s Association. In 1908, the Nelsen’s organized an independent Water Company which is now owned and operated by the city of Tukwila. Today, the home is on the state register of historic places and available for tours.