Key events from the first peoples to the present day.
The earliest peoples arrive in the Pacific Northwest, likely crossing a land bridge from Asia during the Ice Age.
PeopleDozens of distinct tribal nations develop across Washington, including the Coast Salish, Yakama, Nez Perce, and Spokane peoples, each with unique cultures tied to their geography.
CultureGreek explorer sailing for Spain claims to find a strait leading to the Pacific -- later named the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
PeopleThe Corps of Discovery arrives at the mouth of the Columbia River after their journey from St. Louis, mapping the route west.
PeopleThe Hudson's Bay Company builds Fort Vancouver, making it the center of the fur trade in the Pacific Northwest.
EconomyThe first large wagon train of about 1,000 settlers travels the Oregon Trail to the Pacific Northwest.
PeopleGovernor Isaac Stevens negotiates treaties with tribal nations, forcing them onto reservations. Multiple conflicts erupt as tribes resist losing their lands.
ConflictCongress separates Washington from Oregon Territory, establishing it as its own territory with Olympia as the capital.
PoliticsThe Northern Pacific Railway reaches Tacoma, connecting Washington to the rest of the country and sparking rapid growth.
EconomyOn November 11, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison signs the proclamation making Washington the 42nd state in the Union.
PoliticsSeattle becomes the main supply hub for prospectors heading to Alaska and the Yukon, transforming the city's economy.
EconomyWashington becomes one of the first states to grant women the right to vote, a decade before the 19th Amendment.
PoliticsWilliam Boeing starts the Pacific Aero Products Company in Seattle, which becomes the Boeing Company -- shaping Washington's economy for the next century.
EconomyThe stock market crashes on October 29, 1929. Unemployment soars and Washington's timber and farming industries collapse.
EconomyThe biggest New Deal project in Washington begins on the Columbia River, providing jobs and eventually becoming a massive source of hydroelectric power.
EconomyOver 12,000 Japanese Americans from Washington are forcibly relocated to internment camps following Executive Order 9066.
ConflictThe federal government secretly builds the Hanford nuclear site in eastern Washington to produce plutonium for the atomic bomb.
ConflictThe Century 21 Exposition brings the Space Needle, monorail, and international attention to Seattle.
CultureA landmark federal court ruling affirms that Native American tribes are entitled to half of the fish catch in Washington, honoring treaty rights.
PoliticsOn May 18, the volcano erupts with catastrophic force, killing 57 people and reshaping the landscape of southwestern Washington.
CultureJeff Bezos starts Amazon as an online bookstore in his garage, beginning Washington's transformation into a global tech hub.
EconomySeattle's NHL team plays its inaugural season at Climate Pledge Arena, adding to Washington's growing sports legacy.
Culture