Puget Sound region and settled the Puget Sound area. The first non-indigenous settlement was New Market (now known as Tumwater) in 1846. In 1853 Washington Territory was formed from part of Oregon Territory. In 1888 the Northern Pacific railroad line reached Puget Sound, linking the region to eastern states. For a long period Tacoma was noted for its large smelters where gold, silver, copper and lead ores were treated. Seattle was the primary port for trade with Alaska and the rest of the country and for a time possessed a large shipbuilding industry. The region around eastern Puget Sound developed heavy industry during
Puget Sound but increases to about at Olympia, the southern end of Puget Sound. Puget Sound is generally accepted as the start of the Inside Passage. Important marine flora of Puget Sound include eelgrass ("Zostera marina") and kelp, especially bull kelp ("Nereocystis luetkeana"). Among the marine mammals species found in Puget Sound are harbor seals ("Phoca vitulina"). Orca ("Orcinus orca") are famous throughout the Sound, and are a large tourist attraction. Although orca are sometimes seen in Puget Sound proper they are far more prevalent around the San Juan Islands north of Puget Sound. Many fish species occur in Puget Sound. The