Who Was First?

An upcoming history talk at the Coupeville Library

May 11, 2024 at 1PM. Stars & Stripes on the Sound: The First Non-Indigenous Americans on the Salish Sea.

In 1846 the United States gained control of what is now referred to as the Salish Sea, or Admiralty Inlet and Puget Sound. Considering this fact, it is surprising that the answer to the following question remains shrouded in mystery… Who were the first people to fly the United States flag on the Salish Sea?

Michael “Tug” Buse is especially interested in the American contribution to the early maritime history of what is now Western Washington. He published two articles in Pacific Northwest Quarterly on the subject of American firsts on the Salish Sea with regards to steam navigation. Working on these articles, Buse started wondering: who were the first non-Indigenous Americans to really enter the inland waters of what is now Washington State, what was the name of their vessel, when were they on Puget Sound, and why did they explore these waters?

Come see and experience a presentation on Indigenous, as well as non-Indigenous, American history on the Salish Sea, and explore these questions with a historian who is very passionate about them! Michael “Tug” Buse was born and raised on the Salish Sea and is fascinated with its maritime history. He has taught American History and Mass Communication in Iowa, South Carolina, and Shenyang, China, in addition to Washington State. He currently lives in Olympia where he teaches Washington State History for Insight School of Washington, an online public school.