It is characterized by a complex array of saltwater bays, islands, and peninsulas carved out by prehistoric glaciers. The Puget Sound region was formed by the collision and attachment of many terranes "microcontinents" to the North American plate between about 50 to 10 million years ago. The glacier that covered the area was about 3, feet m thick within the vicinity of Seattle.
Logging started as early as In the s logging railroads cut their way into Puget Sound. Helens fire burned , acres 1, km 2.
Mount Rainier National Park started in The Yacolt Burn burned , acres 2, km 2. Olympic National Park was established in George Vancouver explored Puget sound in It became part of the Oregon Country , and became U. After arriving along the Oregon Trail , many settlers wandered north to what is now Washington and settled the Puget Sound area. The first non-indigenous settlement was New Market now known as Tumwater in In Washington Territory was formed from part of Oregon Territory.
In the Northern Pacific railroad line reached Puget Sound, linking the region to eastern states. For a long period Tacoma was noted for its large smelters where gold, silver, copper and lead ores were treated.
Seattle was the primary port for trade with Alaska and the rest of the country and for a time possessed a large shipbuilding industry. During World War II the Puget Sound area became a focus for the war industry, with Boeing producing many of the nation's heavy bombers and the ports of Seattle, Bremerton and Tacoma available for shipbuilding.
