Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
For the broadest history of these islands in the Salish Sea, a visit to the Island County Historical Museum is a must. With its prime waterfront location, overlooking the iconic Coupeville Wharf and flanked by an 1855 blockhouse, you’re surrounded by history before you’ve even stepped inside. This beautifully curated museum is staffed by dedicated volunteers who can tell you about the exhibits and direct you to even more sites of interest.
Discover the rich layers of history in Island County, from the formation of the islands themselves over glacial periods going back several millennia to the present. See for yourself the bones and teeth of prehistoric mammoths who once roamed these parts. Imagine thousands of years of uninterrupted indigenous culture before the shocking arrival of colonists.
The museum houses a particularly beautiful collection of traditional dugout canoes, including one of the oldest existing examples of an ocean-going family canoe. Don’t miss the exquisite moving display, “Four Seasons of Water”, created by a Native artist over 13 years and featuring more than two million tiny seed beads.
See the first car on Whidbey and try to picture it traversing from the Captain Whidbey Inn to Coupeville, in the earliest 1900s. Learn about the first pioneer families making land claims and establishing farms, some of which are still in operation today. Immerse yourself in the maritime and logging history of the region or discover the roots of an early communications company still used by islanders today.
The Snetlum “family canoe” first belonged to Chief Snetlum of the Lower Skagit Tribe in Penn Cove and was passed down through generations of this family since his death in 1852.
A Holsman Automobile, purchased by Henry Kerchner, was the first automobile on Whidbey Island.
This listing is part of our Cultural and Heritage Guide.
Look for the guide at Visitor Centers throughout Whidbey and Camano Islands.
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