The name of our county - Skagit (pronounced ska-dj-ut) - comes from Lushootseed Salish, the indigenous language of Puget Sound and the Skagit Valley, and the oldest known source of stories spoken from this place. Skagit is also the name of the First People who lived in longhouses along the shores of Penn Cove on Whidbey Island, directly across from the mouth of the Skagit River. This is where in the 1850s the first American pioneers built their log cabins at what is now known as Ebey's Prairie. The first American settlers took the name of the first people who lived at Penn Cove, Skagit, and gave it to the nearby bay, river, valley, and county. Lushootseed Skagit means "to hide away". We invite you to "hide away" and experience our local nooks and strong communities from the Cascade Mountains to the Salish Sea.
