KITSAP COUNTY

Kitsap county is essentially a peninsula, situated between Hood's canal on the west and the main body of Puget Sound on the east. Its shores are greatly indented, abounding in good harbors, so that much of the transportation of the county is carried on by water. It is located within the Puget Sound
lowland, so that no part of its gently rolling surface exceeds 600 feet above the sea. It was once heavily forested but the virgin timber is now largely removed. Because of its proximity to good markets the logged-off lands are being cleared for farms. The farms are generally small so that in certain localities the rural population has grown to the point where good roads are now necessary. As a rule the roads are short, extending from the interior of the peninsula to the nearest good harbor where there are wharves.

The major part of the county is deeply buried under a thick mantle of glacial sediments. The highways so far have been entirely made of these materials. The glacial till, composed of pebbles with a cement of clay, makes a fair road wherever the drainage and the grades are good. It is likely to be very dusty in summer and muddy in winter. Beds of gravel are generally distributed, as a part of the glacial deposits, and may be used in surfacing the highways. Bedrock appears at the surface but rarely and then usually about the shores of the Sound or along Hood's canal. It is prevailingly sedimentary in character, usually alternating layers of sandstone and shale. It is worthless as a source of road materials. Basalt is very scarce and the locality described below is the only well known accessible one. Igneous dikes occur in the low hills west of Chico but not in a convenient location for use in road building.

[Source: Bulletin No. 2, By Washington Geological Survey, Washington (State). Division of Geology, Washington (State). Geology and Earth Resources Division, Published by 1911 - Submitted by K. Torp]
 

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History of Kitsap County

Kitsap County was created by the Washington Territorial Legislature in an act approved January 16, 1857. It was then named Slaughter County in honor of Lieutenant W. A. Slaughter, United States Army, who had been killed on December 4, 1855. The people of the county were given the privilege of choosing another name, if they wished, at the next general election. They chose the name of one of the hostile chiefs, whose tribe occupied part of the land in the new county. Seattle was a greater chief of the same tribe. He and most of his tribe remained friendly during the war. Kitsap, a war chief and medicine man, went over to the hostiles. When the war on Puget Sound went against the Indians, Kitsap, with Chief Leschi and others, went across the Cascades. In communications dated June 18 and October 4, 1856, Governor Stevens asked Colonel George Wright, commanding the Columbia River district, to deliver Chiefs Leschi, Nelson, Kitsap, Quiemuth and Stehi for trial by civil authorities. They had been indicted for several murders. On October 16, 1856, Colonel Wright ordered Major Garnett at Fort Simcoe to deliver the chiefs as requested. Chief Leschi was convicted and executed. Chief Kitsap was eventually acquitted. While in the guardhouse at Fort Steilacoom he had been taken ill and was given some medicine in the form of a red liquid. He got well and at once added red liquid to his equipment as a medicine man. After he had returned to his people, three of his warriors became ill. He mixed some of the red paint used for war decorations in water and gave the red medicine. The three men died and their relations were furious. They waited. On April 18, 1860, Chief Kitsap, while drunk, was enticed to a vacant cabin and shot. His body was cut to pieces. (Elwood Evans, in History of the Pacific Northwest: Oregon and Washington, Volume I, pages 508-509.) Rev. Myron Eells says the word means "brave" and is accented heavily on the last syllable as if the "i" were omitted from the first syllable. (American Anthropologist, January, 1892.) 

Source:  The Pacific Northwest Quarterly: Continuing the Washington Historical Quarterly

By Washington State University

Published by The University of Washington, 1919

Submitted by K. Torp

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