It’s approved: ‘Salish Sea’ name now heads for federal approval

The Washington State Board on Geographic Names today approved “Salish Sea” as the name for the waterways including Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Georgia Strait.

The other names will still stick — the new name will be a blanket term for the three. The name change now heads to the federal government, which will consider whether to approve it. Canada has already agreed on the name change, contingent to a federal approval here.

Here are the other names they decided on today:

Clark County
Pleasant Creek – The name for this tributary to LaLonde Creek in Clark County was chosen by the proponent to reflect the quiet and peaceful nature of the area surrounding the creek.

Kitsap County
Jump Off Creek – During the 1920’s, an original settler of the area, Sven Lalander, was working on a bridge to cross this creek. During construction, Mr. Lalander’s scaffolding failed him, and he had to leap to safety. Since then, local residents have called it, Jump Off Creek. Recently, a sign was placed on the creek identifying it as “Jump Off Joe Creek.” The proponent felt this confusion was caused by the several Jump Off Joe Creeks elsewhere in Washington State.

Lewis County
Cupacoffee Creek – This small tributary to Coffee Creek was chosen by the proponent for two reasons: to reflect the small size of the creek and the presence of tannins that cause the water to have a coffee color.

Mason County
Hoke Creek – The proponent wished to honor the Hoke family, original settlers of the area around 1900. The Hoke family built their own small schoolhouse, the foundation of which exists to this day.

Tags: geographic names, Salish Sea