Peter Puget Memorial Project is Officially Underway

My new year is busy with jury duty and yesterday I had a wonderful tour of the Capitol in Olympia with a friend, Skip Dreps who is my project adjutant for our joint effort in creating monuments along Lt. Peter Puget's route in the southern waters of Puget Sound. He is very familiar with the Capitol and its legislative process, so I was in good hands.Our first stop was to deliver a letter to the office of the Land Commissioner.
He will give us the go-ahead or permission to put our monuments on the state  lands of Blake and Cutts Islands. Once that is secured, then we will proceed to gaining permission of the Olympia Port/Plaza Commissioner for the third site.

Our next stop was to visit with a colleague of Skips at the Lt Governor's Office, who was most generous with his time, sharing thoughts on our project and offering ideas for us to consider. All of this took place in the Senate Chamber. Skip and I stood under the Washington State Flag at the Rostrum for a photo op. Talk about a powerful setting to do some project planning. We have received the highest blessings for this project.

Then we toured the many Memorials along the Capitol Campus which were so beautifully done. Afterwards, we headed back down to the Port and had lunch at Anthony's overlooking our proposed site for the 3rd Puget Memorial. Wow, what a day. Thanks Skip, I am  in very good hands.

47 degrees 3 minutes

Back to Researching Captain Vancouver

Happy New Year to All My Blog Readers

It is because of all of you that I can find myself at 0030 hrs on this new year day of 1 January 2013. The fireworks have ceased near my condo complex nestled near the Puyallup River about 8 miles east of I -5 Tacoma. I am sitting at my command module pouring over books, comparing and contrasting their authors interpretations of Captain Vancouver's own exploration of the southern waters. If one is vague on knowing that Peter Puget explored the southern waters, then you will be clueless to the fact that Captain  Vancouver ventured south, as well after he explored Browns Point and Commencement Bay of Tacoma. Vancouver took the Discovery's yawl and the Chatham's cutter.

His Lieutenant Puget was overdue so he headed south taking the continental shore to port and landed on Long or Ketron Island to camp for the night. It is here that he sees the Puget Party returning on a darkened northerly course. They fire off some muskets, but they go unnoticed by Puget. Puget did, however see the fire on shore but assumed it to belonged to Indians. Captain Vancouver now knowing his explorers are safe, continues south for some strange reason and duplicates some of Puget's route.

I have now obtained Vancouver's Log in addition to Edmond S. Meany's interpretation which is easier to read. However, both are very difficult to decipher, but I have made a big break though today locating some abstract positions and routes. In trying to map several locations that Vancouver was speaking about I could not figure out where they were. After at least 50 readings in several days I finally figured it out by the grace of God and a small miracle. I was looking at them entering an inlet and he was describing the view as they were exiting the inlet !! Then it all made perfect sense. It is easy to see how there are so many variations in their routes when we are all trying to interpret what the explorers are describing. Some are certainly more eloquent and have a deeper depth to their observations skills than others.   How they had time to write anything down with all the weather changes, open boats, on the routes from 4 in the morning until dark in the evening.  I  have gained so much respect and have so much admiration for who they were and how they accomplished all that they did.

I have since re-visited some of my own interpretations with the added information of these 2 books and have
discovered new insights into the Blake Island/Restoration Point anchorages. I will be clarifying these in future postings. Right now, I just wanted to take a few moments to wish you all a wonderful boating season 2013 and to thank you for all your support in my Adventures of Shatoosh and Pashmina.

Puget Sound Postings

Merry Christmas Everyone,

Artwork by Marsha Matta

Google Images

I have spent quite a bit of time creating a Power Point Presentation to promote our project of placing 3 Peter Puget Memorials along his route in Puget Sound. I am pleased with it. We are looking towards May, 2014 for installations.

Printed Version

After visiting the Browns Point Lighthouse this month I am turning my research focus on Captain Vancouver's Exploration of the Southern Waters  26-29 May 1792. After reading several books by different authors they have made different interpretations of his route. I learned from the Browns Point Lighthouse curator that Vancouver landed on the Point and had a meal with Indians, took a noon sight and then began to explore Commencement Bay. We know he landed on Long Island or Ketron Island the night of 26 May, as he watched his young Lieutenant with 2 launches return from the south and head toward the anchorage of the HMS Discovery.

I am reading an ebook by Edmund S. Meany, Vancouver's Discovery of Puget Sound, 1907. I am awaiting my copy to arrive in the mail to tackle this phase. From Ketron Island it gets very difficult to read and follow his journal even with a chart in front of me. Did Vancouver get to Budd Inlet, there is a note stating he took a noon sight of 47 degrees and 3 minutes or did he just use Whidbey's latitude, which is Olympia, did he go into Case Inlet and camp on Herron Island as Puget did?  Most of his latitudes that I have plotted do not match up with known islands/points. His sight at Browns Point was 3 minutes off and his latitude of Ketron Island was considerably off when you compare it to his  Browns Point latitude.

I have my work cut out for me, but it will be fun to find answers to my questions. If you know of any references that you have used, please let me know. There is a copy of Vancouver's log in the Tacoma Library. I will have to make an appointment to view it. Meany's book give comparative pages in the log which will make it easier to locate pages.

Lets make the 2013 Boating Season a great one with lots of sun.

Browns Point Light House Tacoma

Points NE Historical Society
A foggy day.















The Lighthouse Keepers' cottage: 3 bedrooms and can be rented

Captain George Vancouver dined on the Point  26 May 1792

The Boathouse

Nice detailing cedar and oak

I had a delightful day attending the Christmas Tea at the Browns Point Lighthouse and meeting all the lovely hosts of the Points NE Historical Society.