The discovery of this “excellent little bay” by Lieutenant Charles Wilkes in 1841 found a protected harbor with abundant fishing, lumber, rich soil surrounding and unsurpassed beauty.  Wilkes was not the first to realize this treasure. Native Americans had long had a seasonal camp at the head of the harbor to reap the rewards of the salmon migration.

In 1867 Croatian fisherman Samuel Jersich became the first settler followed by many more Croatian and Scandinavian settlers.  These pioneers built a commercial fishing community that also thrived on boat building, farming and logging.

Surrounded by water Gig Harbor slumbered for many years as a self-sustained community with little access to the outside communities.  In the late 1910's various steamers and then ferries of the Mosquito Fleet came into being and this allowed easier access to Tacoma and to the trains going to Seattle and elsewhere.  In 1940 with the opening of the first Tacoma Narrows Bridge the community passed into a new era.  The community is still today changing and growing. 

In addition to the Harbor History Museum, make sure to schedule time to visit the Fox Island Museum and the Key Peninsula Museum. The Fox Island museum includes Pacific Northwest Indian aritifacts, farm equipment, the largest collection of Pulley Blocks in Washington and a Acheson log cabin. At the Key Peninsula Museum, located in Vaughn, visitors learn how by preserving the past we can understand the development of the entire Key Peninsula Area.