Mastodons roamed the plains of Sequim and Dungeness in the years following the recession of the Cordilleran ice sheets. Millennia later, the villages of S'Klallam were home to those who saw settlers disembarking on the periphery of coastal wilderness. Ancient stands of spruce, cedar, and fir fell in the 1800s, clearing the land for agriculture. By the 1900s, the region exported wheat, potatoes, hay, and oats and became prime dairy land. This compilation of historic photographs illustrates the area's history from the 1800s to 1930 and is complimented by information from archival documents sequestered in historical collections throughout the Puget Sound and at the Museum and Arts Archive in Sequim.
The author, Katherine Vollenweider, executive director (2006-2010) and registrar (2003-2006) of the museum, completed the cataloging and preservation of hundreds of documents and maps, establishing the Museum and Arts Archive as a public resource for future generations.