For more than 150 years, the activity on and around Commencement
Bay-since the 1840s, when Charles Wilkes first named it, to the present
day-has been a barometer for measuring Tacoma's maritime and industrial
growth and development. Wilkes's early exploration assured the inclusion
of Puget Sound within the boundaries of the United States following
negotiations with Great Britain in 1846. Drawn to the deep waters of the
south shore of the bay, the Northern Pacific Railroad established its
transcontinental terminus here in 1873 and, in the process, created the
city of Tacoma. In the early years, the waterfront was alive with the
sights and sounds of commerce. The longest wheat wharf in the world
lined the south shoreline, longshoremen handled cargo, the Mosquito
Fleet carried people to and from the municipal dock, and the Puyallup
River delta was transformed into the bustling Port of Tacoma.