ABOUT

Quilcene is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 591 at the 2000 census.

History
Early inhabitants of the area were the Twana, inhabiting the length of the Hood Canal, and rarely invading other tribes.The Quilcene ("salt-water people") were a distinct band of these people.The Wilkes Expedition charted the place as Kwil-sid in 1841. Hampden Cottle, a logger from Maine, and several other families settled there in 1860 and eventually established a town. The town was originally situated on the banks of the Quilcene river, before being moved to higher ground.The economy in Quilcene was based primarily on farming and logging.