"A Trip to 'Alki' point near Duwam[i]sh Bay" was written by Edward Huggins (1832-1907), a Hudson's Bay Company employee who in 1850 had been stationed at Fort Victoria and then at Fort Nisqually, an important fur trading and farming post in the Puget Sound area. Mr. Huggins served at the fort in various capacities until its closure in 1869, at which time he became an American citizen and took over the site as his homestead.

This account describes a 30-mile trip through Puget Sound that Fort Nisqually Chief Trader Dr. William Fraser Tolmie (1812-1886) directed Edward Huggins to take in a large canoe with seven Native American crew members. The journey from the fort to Alki Point was undertaken in March 1852, in order to deliver 100 bushels of potatoes purchased by John N. Low (1820-1888) on behalf of the Denny Party at Alki Point, who were short on provisions. Mr. Huggins later contributed many stories of his experiences to the Portland Oregonian newspaper.

Caption information source: "Edward Huggins papers, 1850-1905," University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections.
Caption information source: "Denny Party lands at Alki Point near future Seattle on November 13, 1851," by Greg Lange, HistoryLink.org Essay 5392.