The Great Bend Blend

At Poverty Bay Coffee Co., we named our different roasts after Northwest water landmarks. With all of Puget Sound’s ins and outs, the options were limitless. Please learn a little about one of the places our different roasts are named after.

The Great Bend of Hood Canal holds profound significance in the history and culture of the region’s Indigenous peoples, notably the Skokomish Tribe. The Skokomish, descendants of the Twana people, have inhabited the Hood Canal drainage basin for millennia. Their traditional territory spanned the length of Hood Canal, extending inland to the Olympic Mountains. “Skokomish” translates to “river people,” reflecting their deep connection to the waterways, especially the Skokomish River, which empties into the Great Bend.

 For generations, the Skokomish and other Twana communities led a semi-nomadic lifestyle, establishing permanent winter villages along the Skokomish River and its tributaries. During the warmer months, they traveled to various resource-rich areas for fishing, hunting, and gathering. The Great Bend area was vital for its abundant marine life, including salmon, shellfish, and other seafood, which are central to their diet and cultural practices.

 The arrival of European settlers in the 19th century brought significant challenges to the Skokomish people. In 1855, the Treaty of Point No Point was signed, through which the Skokomish and other tribes ceded large portions of their ancestral lands to the U.S. government. This treaty established the Skokomish Indian Reservation at the mouth of the Skokomish River, encompassing areas around the Great Bend. Despite the cession, the Skokomish retained rights to fish, hunt, and gather in their traditional territories, rights that have been upheld and reaffirmed in subsequent legal decisions.

 Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Skokomish faced numerous adversities, including loss of land due to allotment policies, environmental degradation from logging and dam construction, and restrictions on traditional fishing practices. Notably, the city of Tacoma’s construction of two dams on the North Fork of the Skokomish River between 1926 and 1930 significantly disrupted the river’s ecosystem and the tribe’s access to vital resources.

 In recent decades, the Skokomish Tribe has been actively engaged in cultural revitalization and environmental restoration efforts. They have worked to restore salmon populations, protect water quality, and preserve their ancestral lands around the Great Bend. Cultural practices, such as traditional ceremonies, basketry, carving, and the revitalization of the Twana language, are being revived and passed down to younger generations, ensuring the endurance of their rich heritage.

 The Great Bend of Hood Canal remains a testament to the resilience and enduring connection of the Skokomish people to their ancestral homeland.

The Great Bend is a prominent feature of Hood Canal, a fjord-like extension of Puget Sound in Washington State. Located near the community of Union, the canal makes a sharp 180-degree turn from a southwesterly to a northeasterly direction. This distinctive bend influences water flow and contributes to the canal’s unique ecological characteristics.

 Geologically, Hood Canal was formed approximately 13,000 years ago during the Late Pleistocene epoch by the retreat of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet. The Great Bend’s formation is attributed to the intersection of glacial scouring and east-west stream erosion, creating the canal’s characteristic hook shape.

 Historically, the area around the Great Bend has been significant for Indigenous peoples, particularly the Skokomish Tribe, who have inhabited the region for millennia. In the late 19th century, Union was established near the Great Bend. Founded in 1889 by logging pioneer John McReavy, Union became a hub for the logging industry, supplying timber for various national projects.

Today, the Great Bend area is known for its natural beauty and recreational opportunities. Visitors can engage in activities such as boating, fishing, and shellfishing while enjoying scenic views of the Olympic Mountains and the tranquil waters of Hood Canal.