Indigenous people came first to Willapa Bay and established a village at Tokeland. In Pacific County, there were once more than 40 cedar-planked villages, all with water access. Toke Point was a favorite gathering place.

Historically, four runs of salmon returned to the bay and up the numerous rivers, streams and creeks that dot the 30-mile waterway. The tradition lives on, aided by a cornucopia of clams and oysters.

Chief Toke summered on this piece of land in the late 1700s, a village passed down over eons. Capt. John Meares was greeted in 1788 as he entered the mouth of Willapa Bay. Tokeland is named for the Shoalwater Bay Tribe chief.

The first white settler, J.F. Barrows, settled here in 1854 but left a few years later. George and Charlotte Brown settled in 1858.

In 1885, the Browns’ daughter, Elizabeth, and her husband built a farmhouse and expanded the building into the present Tokeland Hotel. It quickly became a popular destination for travelers through the next century and beyond.

Today, the hotel features 18 bedrooms and a restaurant owned by Heather Earnhardt and Zac Young, The Wandering Goose. The restaurant’s chef serves three meals a day to hungry travelers.

The oldest hotel in Washington state, it stands three stories high and proud. Charming does not begin to describe this lovely Victorian structure.

The Tokeland Hotel claims a stunning view of Willapa Bay. The ocean rests just a short distance to the west and boat traffic enhances a visitors’ view of the scenic seascape. The bay is famous for the Willapa Bay oyster, and the succulent bivalve is served faithfully in the hotel’s wood-lined dining room.

Boat traffic — dugout cedar canoes and clinker-built sailing boats — were once the favored travel across the shallow bay.

The hotel stands as a living monument. Be sure to say hello to the ghost cat, a rumored resident, but watch out for the ghost chef, who many claim walks the hallowed halls at night.