Quillehuyte County, Washington

File:Quillehuyte ("Quillimute") County, Washington Territory.pngQuillehuyte County was a Washington Territory county from January 29, 1868, to 1869.{{sfn | Smith | 1913 | p=11}} It and Ferguson County{{Historylink|title=Ferguson County is established on January 23, 1863|author= Paula Becker |date=September 20, 2005|article=7486}} are the only two counties of the territory (now the State of Washington) that dissolved, although the Washington Territorial Legislature attempted to dissolve Skamania County in January 1865, but was overruled by the United States Congress.{{sfn | Smith | 1913 | p=5}} Additionally, some Washington counties have been renamed since their formation; Sawamish County (from a Salish people's name) was renamed to Mason in 1864 for example.{{sfn | Smith | 1913 | p=5}}

The county was probably named for the Quileute people, also taken for the Quillayute River, airport, etc. with varying spellings due to transliteration of their name from the Chimakuan language. Creation of the county from the western half of Jefferson and a portion of Clallam county (also formed from Jefferson County in 1854) may have been intended to strengthen American land claims and to encourage the Quileute people to vacate to newly established (1855) Quinault reservation.{{Historylink|title=Clallam County — Thumbnail History

|author=Kit Oldham |date=December 27, 2005|article=7576}}

Because it was never organized, it is impossible to say what the county seat was intended to be. The largest populated place in the former county is Forks, population {{circa}} 3,532 in 2010.{{Cite web |last=United States Census Bureau |title=Census of Population and Housing |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507121432/http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html |archive-date=May 7, 2015 |access-date=July 21, 2014}}

Boundaries

Boundaries were set forth by the Territorial Legislature as follows: from the mouth of Wyatch River (now spelled "Waatch") on Makah Bay ({{coord|48.3437|N|124.6752|W|name=Mouth of Wyatch River}}), southeast through Olympic Mountains "along the summit" to {{coord|48|N|124|W|name=Olympic Mountains corner}}, south to Chehalis County boundary (now Grays Harbor County) ({{coord|47.5178|N|124|W|name=Chehalis County corner}}), west along Chehalis County boundary to Pacific coast at Queets ({{coord|47.5334|N|124.3545|W|name=Queets}}), north along Pacific coast to origin.{{sfn | Laws of Washington | 1896 | p=438}}

References

=Sources=

{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=C.W. |url=https://archive.org/details/namingcountiesi00smitgoog |title=The Naming of Counties in the State of Washington |publisher=University of Washington |year=1913 |series=Bulletin of the University of Washington: University studies |page=[https://archive.org/details/namingcountiesi00smitgoog/page/n15 11] |access-date=March 14, 2018}}
{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kRVEAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA438 |title=Laws of Washington: A Publication of the Session Laws of Washington Territory, Including the General Laws and Resolutions of the Years 1854 to 1888 Inclusive. The Federal and Colonial Orders, Treaties, Acts and Ordinances Affecting Land Titles in Washington. From the Original Rolls |publisher=Tribune Prtg. Company |year=1896 |series=Laws of Washington: A Publication of the Session Laws of Washington Territory, Including the General Laws and Resolutions of the Years 1854 to 1888 Inclusive. The Federal and Colonial Orders, Treaties, Acts and Ordinances Affecting Land Titles in Washington. From the Original Rolls |ref={{sfnref|Laws of Washington|1896}} |access-date=March 14, 2018 |issue=v. 2}}

Category:1868 establishments in Washington Territory

Category:1869 disestablishments in Washington Territory

Category:Former counties of the United States

Category:Quileute

Category:Washington (state) placenames of Native American origin