The Olympic Coast has sustained human communities for at least 6,000 years and possibly much longer. Prehistoric archaeology sites have revealed human occupation along much of the shoreline. One site - Ozette Village - has given us a dramatic glimpse of Makah culture which centered around whaling and other ocean-dependent hunting, gathering and fishing activities. Today's Makah, Quileute, Hoh and Quinault tribes carry their heritage forward balancing their roles as natural resource managers and stewards of traditional culture. Browse here to learn more about Native Cultures and Contemporary Tribes of the Olympic Coast.

Since the dawn of the Age of European Exploration, the Olympic Coast has occupied a special place on the map. As early as the 17th Century, the rumor of a Northwest Passage was associated with this area. European "discovery" of the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the 1790s brought a rush of explorer/traders and sparked intense competition among Spain, Russia, England and the fledgling United States. Over 180 shipwrecks mark the history of maritime shipping on the Olympic Coast, their remains broken by the intense natural forces of the coastline or concealed from us in deeper parts of the Sanctuary.

Throughout the period of settlement of the western Olympic Peninsula, the link between the land and the ocean has shaped history. Early canneries, logging operations and hotels reflected not just the economic opportunities brought about by coastal resources, but the hardships imposed by the Olympic Coast's remoteness.

Today there remains a strong imprint of the coast on the people who live in coastal communities.