Experience
Current Exhibits
An Island Story
For a small island, Bainbridge has big stories to share. The Japanese American Exclusion in WWII, the most productive sawmill in the world, the mosquito fleet that served 30 small communities, the teen music scene, and the invention of Pickleball are some of the things you are bound to uncover.
Suquamish Tribe
Suquamish Tribe
Since time immemorial, Bainbridge Island and Agate Passage have been part of the Suquamish people’s homeland. It is here—past, present, and future—that the Suquamish people live and celebrate the natural bounty of the land including fish, cedar, roots, berries, deer and shellfish.
Early Exploration
Early Exploration
Map of the Oregon Territory, Wilkes Expedition 1841
The first non-native people arrived on Bainbridge Island in May 1792. English Captain George Vancouver came seeking efficient trade routes, looking for a water route through North America. In 1841 the United States Exploring Expedition led by Lieutenant Charles Wilkes arrived in the area on a global surveying voyage. By mapping Bainbridge as an island, they corrected Vancouver’s map of Bainbridge as a peninsula.
Logging
Logging
Vaughn Drag Saw, Zenhichi Harui and friends, Island Center, ca. 1940
Second Mill at Port Blakely, 1888 – 1907
Retorts for Creosoting Logs Pacific Creosote Company, Bill Point, ca. early 1900’s
Immigrants came to the Puget Sound during the mid-1800s and saw seemingly unlimited economic potential. “Endless” forests were ripe for harvesting and profit, and mill employment spurred growth and more immigration. Homes, churches, schools and commerce blossomed with workers and their families, creating a global feel that still remains a part of Bainbridge Island culture.
Transportation
Transportation
Sailing Ships in Eagle Harbor
Sailing Ships in Eagle Harbor
Ferry Kalakala
Before the bridge was built in 1950, Bainbridge Island was accessible only by water. For centuries, Suquamish people used canoes for transportation. As the population grew, sailing ships provided access to U.S. and international markets. The “mosquito fleet” consisted of smaller passenger and ferry boats that brought freight, workers, seasonal residents, and visitors to the island. Today the ferry from Seattle is appropriately iconic, symbolizing everything it means to be an island.
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Marine Railway at Hall Bros. Shipyard, Winslow 1903
Ship under construction on Port Madison beach
Hall Brothers Shipyard, Port Blakely
Growing mill operations required transportation of products to market. Using readily available, high quality lumber, the shipbuilding industry grew. This provided businesses with access to both domestic and international markets. Today, many of the roads, and even the town of Winslow, bear the names of shipbuilders, a tribute to the significance of the industry.
Agriculture
Agriculture
Strawberry Farms
Koura Strawberry Farm
Strawberry Cannery
From subsistence farming to small farms that fed a growing number of workers and their families, the story of agriculture on Bainbridge is also the story of the island economy and the people who helped it thrive. Bainbridge Island continues to support berry, vegetable, and dairy farms today.
Wartime
Wartime
Photograph of Fort Ward Radio School
Photograph of barrage balloons
Photograph of Winslow Shipyard Workers
In 1941, the Bainbridge Island community reacted to President Roosevelt’s call for wartime support. The U.S. Navy radio station, named Station S, was a secret operation on Bainbridge Island that intercepted and recorded Japanese diplomatic messages sent in Japanese Morse code. A radio school was established at Fort Ward to train naval radio operators. Barrage balloons appeared high in the sky to protect shipyard facilities. Civilians went to work at the shipyards. The stories of Islanders who became part of the war effort provide a close-up of this sad and spirited time.
Japanese American Exclusion
Japanese American Exclusion
Nakamura Family Leaving Home
Arrival of the ferry Kehloken
Kitamoto Family
After Pearl Harbor, the perceived threat led to the evacuation and incarceration of persons of Japanese descent, including U.S. citizens. Bainbridge Island was the first West Coast community impacted by this decision. On March 29, 1942, two hundred twenty-seven Japanese American Islanders were sent to Manzanar Relocation Center. The Japanese American Exclusion is a story of the suspension of civil liberties and citizen resistance told through personal experience.
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