WHEN WATERWAYS WERE HIGHWAYS: The Historic Mosquito Fleet
Just offshore from Caledonia Cove, original pilings from the 19th century stand as remnants of a once bustling steamboat operation—the legendary Mosquito Fleet. A collection of small, privately-owned steamboats and sternwheelers operating from the 1860s-1930s, the Mosquito Fleet transported people, livestock, goods and mail while connecting communities along 1,332 miles of shoreline before roads and rail lines existed. The Mosquito Fleet was critical to the growth of Puget Sound by allowing people to live anywhere along the shoreline while connecting them to burgeoning Northwest towns.
As legend has it, the flotilla’s name was coined when a Seattle newspaper wrote, "At five o'clock in Seattle, the little commuter steamers scurry off to their destinations like a 'swarm of mosquitoes.’”
The Mosquito Fleet’s service peaked in the late 1880s, operating anywhere from 700 to 2,500 boats. In Caledonia Cove, the yarns of the lively landing, dancehall and general store are still spun to this day.
Since time immemorial, an ancestral summer fishing and gathering outpost of Puyallup and other Coast Salish peoples, Caledonia Cove, Browns Point, and Dash Point were settled by newcomers after the Treaty of Medicine Creek in 1854. A lantern was first lit at Browns Point in 1887 to guide boats across Commencement Bay to and from the burgeoning port of Tacoma, where the lighthouse stands today.
In 1905, steamboat owner/builder Matthew McDowell bought 80 acres of land and built a house, dock and dance hall adjacent to the lighthouse, calling his compound “Caledonia,” the poetic name for Scotland. McDowell’s business thrived as the population grew and summer visitors poured in. By association with his prosperous estate, the area became known as Caledonia Cove. Valued for it secluded beaches, marine life, spectacular views and as a peaceful escape from congested urban areas, this residential enclave offers easy and gracious access to Downtown Tacoma, Seattle, and SeaTac International Airport.
