Westport is a community located on Point Chehalis, a peninsula between South Bay and the Pacific Ocean that partially encloses Grays Harbor from the south, about 53 miles (85 km) north-northwest of Astoria and 15 miles (24 km) west-southwest of Aberdeen, Washington. Grays Harbor is named after Boston fur trader Captain Robert Gray, who discovered it in 1792 and named it Bullfinch Harbor after Charles Bulfinch, one of the shipowners of the Columbia Rediviva. However, Lieutenant Joseph Whidbey of Captain George Vancouver’s British expedition visited a few months later and labeled it ‘Gray’s Harbor’ on his charts. Westport is named after its harbor facility, which hosts a large commercial fishing fleet and recreational vessels. Point Chehalis is named after Fort Chehalis, a US Army post established in 1860 at present-day Westport. The name derives from the Lower Chehalis word ‘ts-a-lis’, meaning ‘place of sand’. The surrounding area mainly consists of Quaternary sand deposits. Point Chehalis is the tip of a large spit formed over thousands of years in a littoral cell. Littoral cells divide the coast into spatial units that contain a complete cycle of sediment sources, transport paths, and sinks. The Columbia River littoral cell, approximately 103 miles (165 km) long, extends from Tillamook Head, Oregon in the south, to Point Grenville, Washington in the north. These beaches are characterized by wide surf zones and large sandbars and spits. Historically, the high accretion rates on beaches and spits were attributed to large supplies of sand from the Columbia River. This widespread accretion created new coastal lands, where public and private infrastructure were built. Starting in the mid-20th century, the construction of 11 major and over 200 smaller dams in the Columbia River basin significantly decreased peak streamflows and sediment transport. The presence of sand on any particular beach depends on sediment transport within the littoral cell. When structures like river dams, jetties, and groins interfere with this transport, beaches within the littoral cell erode. Several locations that historically accreted are now experiencing severe erosion, likely due to reduced sand transport from the Columbia River and along the coast.

The outer coast and estuaries of Washington were inhabited by thousands of Indigenous Peoples when first contacted by European explorers. However, there is little archaeological evidence of prehistoric human occupation. This is likely due to seismic activity at the Cascadia subduction zone, which caused subsidence, tsunami inundation, and consequent burial and tidal flooding of low-lying coastal sites. Many prehistoric sites along the coast were also inundated by Holocene sea-level rise, while others have been buried by rapid sand accretion. The Point Chehalis area was regularly used during the summer by local tribes such as the Willapa Chinook and Lower Chehalis. The Lower Chehalis bands fished the Middle and Lower Chehalis, Wynoochee, Wishkah, Humptulips, Elk, Johns, Hoquiam, North, Willapa, Niawiakum, and Palix rivers between Grays Harbor and South Puget Sound. Like many Native tribes in the Pacific Northwest, the Chehalis relied on fishing from local rivers and built cedar plank longhouses to protect themselves from harsh, wet winters. The first white settler at Point Chehalis was Thomas B. Speake and his family from Kentucky, who arrived in the summer of 1857. Fort Chehalis was established in 1860 by Captain Maurice Maloney, of the 4th US Infantry to protect white settlers from perceived threats by the Chehalis. The post was a camp and was never officially designated as a fort. It was abandoned in 1861 by order of Colonel George Wright, of the 9th US Infantry but was reoccupied later that year to restore settlers’ confidence and protect the Indian agent while an agency was established nearby. The post was permanently abandoned before the end of 1861, and in 1868, the government ordered its buildings sold. During the 1850s, Governor Isaac Stevens negotiated treaties with many Indigenous peoples in western Washington, placing them on reservations. The treaties of Point Elliot, Medicine Creek, and Point No Point established 18 reservations. The Chehalis, Chinook, and Cowlitz initially refused to sign but in 1860 reached agreements with the US government. The Chehalis Indian Reservation was established on the Chehalis River, covering 4,480 acres (1,812 ha) in southeastern Grays Harbor and southwestern Thurston Counties. The main population centers are Chehalis Village and Oakville.

Westport was historically surrounded by dense old-growth forests, and many homesteaders found logging more lucrative than farming. Westport and Grays Harbor became major logging ports in the late 19th century. By 1890, 13 sawmills around Grays Harbor exported 60 million board feet of lumber, and the harbor’s shipyards built nine steamers and three sailing vessels that year. As the number of vessels entering the port increased, so did the number of strandings and sinkings. In 1884, the US Congress appropriated funds for a harbor light to mark the entrance to Grays Harbor. The first site selected was Point Brown, on the north side of the harbor entrance, and arrangements were made to purchase 5 acres (2 ha) of land. However, the following year, the US Lighthouse Board decided a first-order light was needed rather than a small harbor light. A site at Point Chehalis was selected, surveyed, and approved by the board. In 1897, the Grays Harbor Lighthouse was constructed on a low dune, the highest point of the peninsula, roughly 2,100 feet (640 m) from the high tide mark. The Grays Harbor Lighthouse, designed by Carl W. Leick, stands as a significant achievement. Leick, who also designed notable structures in Astoria like the Clatsop County Courthouse and the Captain George Flavel House, later moved to Portland to work as an architect for the Engineering Office of the Thirteenth Lighthouse District. He designed 40 lighthouses across the Pacific Northwest: 22 in Washington, 11 in Alaska, and 7 in Oregon, including the second lighthouse at Cape Arago. The Grays Harbor Lighthouse, commissioned on June 30, 1898, is the tallest lighthouse in Washington and the third tallest on the U.S. west coast. The octagonal tower is 107 feet (33 m) high, supported by a foundation of sandstone 12 feet (3.6 m) thick. Its walls are 4 feet (1.2 m) thick at the base, made of brick with a cement coating. Inside, 135 metal steps, bolted to the tower walls, lead to the lantern room. Originally, windows provided interior light, but they were cemented over to reduce maintenance when the station was electrified. Today, Westport’s economy relies on fishing, shellfish harvesting, seafood processing, and tourism. Read more here and here. Explore more of Westport and Point Chehalis here: