Westport, WA is located
at the mouth of Grays Harbor on the southernmost peninsula known as Point Chehalis. The
area was in regular use as a summer resort by local Native American tribes before Thomas
Barker Speake and his family, the first white settlers, arrived early in the summer of
1857.
By 1914, Westport was a busy, though
small center for fishing, shell fish harvesting, seafood processing and tourism. Among
the earliest structures built at Westport, the Westport Lighthouse, dedicated on April 14,
1898, still stands as a majestic beacon for weary mariners anxious to return home from the
sea. The City of Westport was incorporated on June 26, 1914.
Today, Westport with a population of 2345
still relies on fishing, shellfish harvesting, seafood processing and tourism for much of
its livelihood. More recently, boat building has also become an important part of
Westport's economic base.
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