April 24, 2019 – Quimper Geological Society

We have a new name:
Quimper Geological Society

In the eight years we have been operating under the Jefferson Land Trust, our group has grown to more than 725 members. Last year we hosted 11 events and about 800 people at lectures and on field trips. We’ve outgrown several venues and occasionally need to use bigger ones, such as Chimacum High School for the recent “Nick on the Rocks” talk (265 attended). The upshot is that, with all the changes we’ve undergone, it seems like a good time to change our name: to one that reflects our size, relevance, and professional standing in the community. We’ll continue to do the same things that have made our group and our association with Jefferson Land Trust a valued resource on the Quimper Peninsula. Read on if you’d like to know more about the “Quimper” name and other Geological Societies.

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The Quimper Peninsula forms the most northeastern extent of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. Port Townsend sits at the north end of the peninsula. The peninsula is named after the Peruvian-born Spanish explorer Manuel Quimper who, in command of the Princesa Real, charted the north and south coasts of the Strait of Juan de Fuca during the summer of 1790. He was the first European to report seeing Mount Baker, which he named La Gran Montagna Carmelita. On the Olympic Peninsula, he traded with and observed the customs of indigenous people near Dungeness (which he named Bahia de Quimper) and near the Elwha River. These people were most likely members of the S’Klallam tribe and Quimper may have been the first European they had seen. The Ozette potato is likely an artifact of Quimper overwintering in the area. Most of his discoveries along the strait were renamed by British Captain George Vancouver, who entered the Strait of Juan de Fuca on 29 April 1792. Those features that retained at least a semblance of Quimper’s Spanish names include Port Angeles, Rosario Strait, Fidalgo Island, and Quimper Peninsula

Geological Societies. There are hundreds around the world, but here are some of significance to us: