Quillehuyte County, Washington facts for kids

This map from 1877 shows "Quillimute County," even though it had already stopped existing.

Quillehuyte County was a special area in the Washington Territory that acted like a county for a short time. It existed from January 29, 1868, until 1869. Quillehuyte County and another area called Ferguson County are the only two "counties" in Washington's history that were later officially ended. Today, Washington is a state.

The name "Quillehuyte" likely came from the Quileute people, who are a Native American tribe. You might also see this name used for the Quillayute River and the local airport. The spelling changes a bit because it was tricky to write down their name from the Chimakuan language.

This county was created from parts of Jefferson County and Clallam County. Jefferson County was also formed from Jefferson County in 1854. One reason for creating Quillehuyte County might have been to help the United States claim land in the area. It also might have encouraged the Quileute people to move to the Quinault reservation, which was set up in 1855.

Because Quillehuyte County was never fully organized, it's hard to know where its main town, or "county seat," was supposed to be. The largest town in the area where the county used to be is now Forks. In 2010, about 3,532 people lived there.

Where Was Quillehuyte County Located?

The leaders of the Washington Territory decided exactly where Quillehuyte County's borders would be. Let's look at how they described them:

• It started at the mouth of the Waatch River (which used to be called "Wyatch River"). This river flows into Makah Bay.
• From there, the border went southeast through the Olympic Mountains. It followed the very top, or "summit," of the mountains.
• Then, it went south to the border of what was then Chehalis County. Today, this is called Grays Harbor County.
• Next, the border moved west along the Chehalis County line until it reached the Pacific coast at a place called Queets.
• Finally, it followed the Pacific coast north all the way back to where it started at the Waatch River.