Tse-whit-zen, Archaeological site in Port Angeles, US

Tse-whit-zen was a Lower Elwha Klallam village at the base of Ediz Hook on the Port Angeles waterfront, occupied for more than 2,700 years. Excavations in 2003 revealed possibly eight longhouse structures, ceremonial areas, and places for drying fish and clams, along with more than 10,000 artifacts and 335 intact skeletons. The site now lies beneath 15 to 30 feet of fill from early 20th-century lumber mills.

Radiocarbon dating places the earliest confirmed settlement at 750 BC, and the Lower Elwha Klallam occupied the village until the 1930s. Early 20th-century lumber mills covered the site with 15 to 30 feet of fill, preserving it. In August 2003, construction of a graving dock for the Hood Canal Bridge uncovered the cemetery and intact village; work stopped on December 21, 2004.

The Klallam name Tse-whit-zen means "inner harbor" in the Klallam language. The village included longhouse areas, ceremonial areas, and places for fish and clam drying. Elder Adeline Smith, warned as a child never to play on the sacred site, later championed its preservation and helped create a written form and dictionary of the Klallam language.

The site is located beneath modern Port Angeles and is not open for public visits. Visitors interested in the artifacts and history can find information at local museums and tribal cultural centers in the area.

Elder Adeline Smith, warned as a child never to play on the sacred site, later championed its preservation and helped create a written form and dictionary of the Klallam language. The 2003 discovery halted the Hood Canal Bridge graving dock; the state abandoned the project on 21 December 2004 and later transferred the land and $2.5 million to the tribe.