La Push, Washington

La Push
Unincorporated community

James Island from the beach at La Push
La Push

Location within the state of Washington

Coordinates: 47°54′19″N 124°37′34″W / 47.90528°N 124.62611°WCoordinates: 47°54′19″N 124°37′34″W / 47.90528°N 124.62611°W
Country United States
State Washington
County Clallam
Population (2000)
 • Total 371
Time zone Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
 • Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes 98350

La Push is a small unincorporated community situated at the mouth of the Quileute River in Clallam County, Washington, United States. La Push is the largest community within the Quileute Indian Reservation and home to the Quileute tribe. La Push is known for its whale-watching and natural beauty.

Geography

The name La Push is from French La Bouche, meaning "The Mouth" of the Quillayute River, adapted into Chinook Jargon.[1]

La Push is home to the westernmost ZIP Code in the contiguous United States, 98350.

Sunset in La Push - October 2013

La Push is the north-most point of Washington’s Pacific Coast beaches. From La Push to Cape Flattery, the most northwest point of the continental United States, lies the Olympic National Park’s National Wildlife Refuge. The beach lies on the south side of the Quillayute River’s outlet into the Pacific Ocean at the north edge of the Quileute Indian Reservation. The beach, called First Beach, is a wide, crescent shaped, sandy beach with sea stacks between the beach and the western horizon. During migration, whales can be seen from the beach.[2]

Climate

Climate data for La Push, Washington
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 69
(21)		 73
(23)		 72
(22)		 83
(28)		 92
(33)		 96
(36)		 97
(36)		 99
(37)		 97
(36)		 83
(28)		 69
(21)		 64
(18)		 99
(37)
Average high °F (°C) 47
(8)		 49
(9)		 51
(11)		 55
(13)		 60
(16)		 63
(17)		 67
(19)		 69
(21)		 66
(19)		 58
(14)		 50
(10)		 46
(8)		 56.8
(13.8)
Average low °F (°C) 36
(2)		 35
(2)		 37
(3)		 39
(4)		 43
(6)		 48
(9)		 51
(11)		 51
(11)		 47
(8)		 42
(6)		 38
(3)		 35
(2)		 41.8
(5.6)
Record low °F (°C) 7
(−14)		 11
(−12)		 19
(−7)		 23
(−5)		 29
(−2)		 33
(1)		 38
(3)		 36
(2)		 28
(−2)		 23
(−5)		 5
(−15)		 7
(−14)		 5
(−15)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 14.61
(371.1)		 10.70
(271.8)		 10.83
(275.1)		 7.85
(199.4)		 5.11
(129.8)		 3.50
(88.9)		 1.98
(50.3)		 2.49
(63.2)		 3.82
(97)		 10.49
(266.4)		 15.52
(394.2)		 12.99
(329.9)		 99.89
(2,537.1)
Source: [3]

History

La Push, 14 miles from Forks, is home to the Quileute Tribe. Tribal members built cedar canoes that ranged in size from two-man to ocean-going freight vessels capable of carrying three tons. They ranked second only to the Makah as whalers, and first among all the tribes as sealers. Special woolly-haired dogs were bred, and their hair spun into prized blankets. According to the stories, the Quileutes only kin, the Chimakum, were separated from them by a great flood that swept them to the Quimper Peninsula on the other side of the North Olympic Peninsula, where they were wiped out by Chief Seattle and the Suquamish Tribe in the 1860s. First official contacts with the white man occurred in 1855, when the Quileutes signed a treaty with representatives of Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens. A treaty a year later would have moved them to a reservation in Taholah, but the Quileute territory was so remote it was not enforced. In February 1889, an executive order by President Grover Cleveland established a one mile square reservation at La Push which, at the time, had 252 inhabitants. While villagers were picking hops in Puyallup, the town was destroyed by arson in 1889.[4]

Tourism

Today, La Push has oceanfront resorts, a seafood company, fish hatchery, and a revamped marina.

The Quileute Tribe has recreated its traditional skills and crafts, which are taught at school along with the unique language, which is unrelated to any root language in the world, and one of only five in the world without nasal sounds.

The popular Quileute Days takes place July 17–19 in La Push. The tribal celebration of cultural heritage and modern lifestyle includes a fireworks display, a traditional salmon bake, dancing and songs, a softball tournament, and other field sports, a slo-pitch tournament, a horse show tournament, arts and craft display and food concessions

La Push and the Quileute Tribe have been recently featured in author Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, which greatly increased the number of visitors annually.

The Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail passes through La Push on the way to its western terminus at Cape Alava.

La Push is a tribal village of the Quileute Tribe that displays a slower, more relaxed way of life. All of the businesses are owned by the tribe.

In recent years the tribe has grown more interested in tourism. They have opened a full service seasonal restaurant, and built 15 new luxury cabins.[2]

Cabin at Resort in La Push
This is a view from one of La Push's cabins at the Quileute Oceanside Resort.

References

  1. ↑ Phillips, James W. (1971). Washington State Place Names. University of Washington Press. ISBN 0-295-95158-3.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "La Push, WA". North West Places. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  3. ↑ "weather.com".
  4. ↑ "History". Quileute Nation. Retrieved 25 March 2012.

External links