The island's history in short
The history of Bainbridge Island does not begin with European arrival. The island lies in the ancestral territory of the Suquamish, and the Suquamish People are still here, with a living community and culture. Later chapters came from sawmills, shipbuilding, immigration and the ferries that tie the island to Seattle.
Many of the places you can visit today carry this history, from the harbor at Port Blakely to the memorial in the woods. If you want to see the island with that background, Seattle day trips and the pages linked below are a good start.
Our pick: a tour of the island's history
A guided island drive that stops at the memorial.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Day trips and tours around Bainbridge Island
Guided days out around Seattle, Bainbridge Island and the Kitsap Peninsula, with live prices and availability.
The island in dates
The main stages, in order.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Long before 1792 | The Suquamish live on these shores |
| 1792 | Contact with Vancouver's expedition |
| 1841 | Charles Wilkes charts and names the island |
| 1864 | William Renton founds the Port Blakely sawmill |
| 1880s | Japanese immigration begins; Scandinavian settlers also arrive on the peninsula |
| 1923 | The Eddy family takes over Port Blakely |
| 1942 | Japanese American residents are excluded from the island |
| 1947 | Winslow is founded as a city |
| 1991 | The rest of the island is incorporated |
The dates for Vancouver and Wilkes are historical ones. They do not mean the island was unknown before. For most readers, the most useful way to use this table is as a map for the sections below.
The Suquamish
The first and continuing people of this shore.
Continuity, not a closed chapter
The Suquamish have lived here since long before European ships arrived, and they live and govern themselves today. Local history museums place themselves on Suquamish ancestral land. To understand the island, start there.
Suquamish guide →Contact and naming
Contact with Vancouver's expedition is dated to 1792, and Charles Wilkes charted and named the island in 1841. These are the dates of European contact and charting, and they sit on top of a much older history.
Mills and shipbuilding
The industries that built the island's harbors.
Port Blakely
William Renton founded the sawmill at Port Blakely in 1864. Ships were built in the harbor, and the Eddy family took the company over in 1923.
Port Madison and the shipyards
George Meigs ran a sawmill at Port Madison. The island built schooners, and during the Second World War it built minesweepers. These industries shaped the island's harbors and its working history.
A neighbor across the water
Port Gamble, a mill town founded in 1853 on the Kitsap Peninsula, shows a similar story. Its mill closed in 1995. See Poulsbo and Port Gamble.
Japanese American history and the exclusion of 1942
A chapter that deserves its own page.
Japanese immigrants began to arrive on the island in the 1880s. Many worked in the sawmills and in strawberry growing. In 1942 Japanese American islanders were forced to leave the island under an exclusion order. This was not a voluntary move. The story is told in detail on the page for the Japanese American Exclusion Memorial.
Town, bridge and ferries
How the island took its modern shape.
Winslow and the whole island
Winslow was founded as a city in 1947. The rest of the island was incorporated in 1991. That does not mean the island was empty or newly settled in those years. It means the city grew in two steps.
The bridge and the state ferries
After the Second World War, the Agate Pass Bridge and the state ferry service tied the island to the mainland and to Seattle. Today you can still cross by boat, and the ferry remains the most common way to arrive. See the ferry guide.
History of Bainbridge Island: frequently asked questions
Who lived on Bainbridge Island first?
The Suquamish. The island lies in their ancestral territory, and the Suquamish People still live nearby with their own tribal government.
When was Winslow founded?
Winslow was founded as a city in 1947. The rest of the island was incorporated in 1991.
What happened to Japanese Americans on the island in 1942?
They were forced to leave under an exclusion order. It was not a voluntary move. See the page on the Japanese American Exclusion Memorial.
When did the Port Blakely sawmill start?
William Renton founded it in 1864. The Eddy family took over the company in 1923.
What tied the island to the mainland after the war?
The Agate Pass Bridge and the state ferry service tied the island to the mainland and to Seattle. You can still cross by boat today.