Long before any settler arrived, this was Duwamish land. The Duwamish, a Coast Salish people whose name means the people of the inside, lived in villages along Elliott Bay and the Duwamish River, fishing for salmon, gathering shellfish and travelling by cedar canoe.
On November 13, 1851, the schooner Exact landed 22 settlers at Alki, more than half of them children. Led by Arthur Denny, they became known as the Denny Party.
They named the place New York, and soon New York Alki. Alki is a Chinook Jargon word for "by and by." New York, someday.
The Duwamish helped them through that first wet winter. By spring most of the settlers had moved across Elliott Bay to deeper water, the start of downtown Seattle. The city took its name from Si'ahl, the Duwamish and Suquamish leader known as Chief Seattle. The Duwamish people are still here today.