1897 Map of Tacoma

About this map

Commencement Bay and the busy port of Tacoma anchor this late-nineteenth-century study of the Puget Sound lowlands. The landscape is defined by the heavy rail presence of the Northern Pacific Railway and the Tacoma and Southeastern R. R., which connect the waterfront to inland coal and timber centers like Black Diamond and Wilkeson. Extensive land tracts are designated as the Puyallup Indian Reservation and Muckleshoot Indian Reservation, while the surrounding terrain is a network of river valleys including the Puyallup River and White River. To the north, Vashon Island and Maury Island sit prominently in Puget Sound Admiralty Inlet, showing early settlements such as Chautauqua and Burton. The presence of numerous small lakes and named points, like Robinson Pt. and Pt. Piner, illustrates the complex maritime and freshwater geography of Pierce and King Counties before modern urban expansion.