In 1874, under the leadership of Lord James "Jim" Balch (son of tələsmítəm), our people who lived in the Dungeness village of céʔsqaʔt decided that in order to survive,
a new value system needed to be adopted which included property ownership. Fourteen stətíɬəm nəxʷsƛ̕áy'əm' families pooled $500 in gold coins and purchased 210 acres along the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
This became the village known as Jamestown, named for James Balch. In the evolution of labor, our people joined the local workforce as farmers and dairymen.
We also continued to practice our traditional hunting, fishing, and gathering using these goods for trade with the local settlers.
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