Northwest Landing was first seen by outsiders in 1792, when British Captain George Vancouver and a party of explorers cruised down the body of water he named Puget Sound.

In 1833, the Hudson's Bay Company set up shop on the site in a trading post called Fort Nisqually.  The company raised livestock and crops to sell to Russian outposts in Alaska, customers around the Pacific Rim and back home in Britain.  Some of the  trees planted at the fort still bear fruit.  (Ford Nisqually's buildings were moved in 1934 to Point Defiance Park in Tacoma.)  In 1994 the site was donated to the Archaeological Conservancy, a national preservation organization.

In 1841, the bluff overlooking Puget Sound and the mouth of Sequalitchew Creek served as an observatory for a major U.S. scientific expedition. At what is now Northwest Landing, members of the expedition set up an observatory, charted lower Puget Sound and designated landmark names still in use today.

In 1869, the U.S. government bought the Hudson's Bay Company property. Hudson's Bay Company moved north to British Columbia, and U.S. homesteaders moved in.

 In 1906, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. acquired the property from a variety of owners.  The City of DuPont began as a company town -- with more than 100 houses, a church, butcher shop and hotel.  In 1951, residents were allowed to purchase their homes, and the city was incorporated.  The City of DuPont is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as the only former company town in the state in which most of the homes maintain historic integrity.

Adjacent to the historic village, DuPont operated a manufacturing plant for nearly 70 years, producing explosives that were used to blast stumps, clear roadways and fight two World Wars.  In 1976, the plant was closed and DuPont sold its 3,200 acres to the Weyerhaeuser Company.

The DuPont Historical Society Museum was opened in 1977 and organized as a nonprofit corporation in 1982 in recognition of the unique role DuPont has played in the historic and industrial legacy of the Puget Sound region.  A steering committee of 10 members is responsible for museum displays, artifacts, programs and staffing.  Group tours to view the museum and historical markers can be arranged by calling (253) 964-8121.  The museum is open Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

For more historical information, contact Washington State Historical Society Museum (253) 593-2830 or DuPont Historical Museum (253) 964-8121.