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Fort Nisqually Living History Museum

Fort Nisqually Events 2025

April 26th, 11am-4pm

Klahowya

IIn 1855, Fort Nisqually was a trading center for folks from all over. They greeted each other in the trade language of the time, Chinook Jargon, by saying “Klahowya” or “welcome”. We welcome you to enjoy guided tours of the museum, historic trades demonstrations, and hands-on activities for the whole family. Plant your own seeds to take home, learn about wool and meet some local sheep, sample food prepared in the museum’s period kitchen, and play Victorian games.


Admission for Klahowya is FREE for all Pierce County and enrolled Tribal Members.

Purchase Admission and Browse the Gift Shop Here!

About Fort Nisqually

Fort Nisqually, the first globally connected settlement on the Puget Sound, was established in 1833 by the Hudson’s Bay Company as a fur trading outpost. The decline of the fur trade meant that Fort Nisqually’s focus shifted to commercial agricultural enterprises with the establishment of the Puget Sound Agricultural Company (PSAC) in 1839. Based at Fort Nisqually, the PSAC raised cattle, sheep, and horses along with crops such as wheat, barley, oats, and peas across the 160,000 acres claimed by the company. By 1855, the date the museum portrays, this British establishment was surrounded by American territory and faced increasing pressure from settlers who wanted the farmable land for their own use. The Hudson’s Bay Company sold its holdings to the United States government, withdrawing from Washington Territory in 1869, and Fort Nisqually became the homestead of the last manager, Edward Huggins. Fort Nisqually was originally located in what is now DuPont, WA. The Fort you see today was reconstructed in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Civic-minded citizens preserved and donated two of the original structures, the Factor’s House and Granary, to the Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma. The museum gives residents and visitors a chance to experience what life was like on Puget Sound in 1855.
Want to learn more about Fort Nisqually Living History Museum and using our research library? Interested in volunteer opportunities or becoming a member of the museum? Looking to book an education tour or even rent the fort for weddings and parties? Head on over to our official Parks Tacoma web page to learn about all of these and more!

We Acknowledge

Parks Tacoma acknowledges that we operate on the traditional homelands of Coast Salish tribes, who have lived on and stewarded these lands since time immemorial and continue to do so today.

Location

Fort Nisqually Living History Museum

Physical Address: 5519 Five Mile Drive Tacoma, WA, 98407 Mailing Address: 5400 N Pearl St, Ste #11 Tacoma, WA, 98407

Museum Hours of Operation

October 1 - April 30 Monday: Closed Tuesday: Closed Wednesday thru Sunday: 11am-4pm May 1 - September 30 Monday thru Sunday: 11am-5pm Closed on the following holidays: Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day