Editing Kitsap Peninsula (section)

{{Short description|Peninsula in Puget Sound, Washington, United States}}
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The '''Kitsap Peninsula''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɪ|t|ˌ|s|æ|p}}) lies west of [[Seattle]] across [[Puget Sound]], in [[Washington (state)|Washington state]] in the [[Pacific Northwest]]. [[Hood Canal]] separates the peninsula from the [[Olympic Peninsula]] on its west side. The peninsula, a.k.a. "Kitsap", encompasses all of [[Kitsap County, Washington|Kitsap County]] except [[Bainbridge Island, Washington|Bainbridge]] and [[Blake Island|Blake]] islands, in addition to the northeastern part of [[Mason County, Washington|Mason County]] and the northwestern part of [[Pierce County, Washington|Pierce County]]. The highest point on the Kitsap Peninsula is [[Gold Mountain, Washington (state)|Gold Mountain]]. The [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]]'s [[Puget Sound Naval Shipyard]], and [[Naval Base Kitsap]] (comprising the former NSB Bangor and NS Bremerton) are on the peninsula. Its main city is [[Bremerton, Washington|Bremerton]].

The 1841 [[United States Exploring Expedition]], led by [[Charles Wilkes]] of the U.S. Navy, named it the Great Peninsula or Indian Peninsula. While "Great Peninsula" remains the official name,<ref>{{gnis|1529158}}</ref> the name "Kitsap Peninsula" is more commonly used and is derived from Kitsap County, which occupies most of the peninsula. The county was named for [[Chief Kitsap]], a late 18th- and 19th-century warrior and [[medicine man]] of the [[Suquamish]] Tribe.<ref>{{cite book |last=Meany |first=Edmond S. |author-link=Edmond S. Meany |year=1923 |title=Origin of Washington Geographic Names |pages=119, 131 |publisher=[[University of Washington Press]] |location=Seattle |oclc=1963675 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015027074981 |via=[[HathiTrust]] |accessdate=March 23, 2025}}</ref> The Suquamish were one of the historical fishing tribes belonging to the [[Coast Salish]] peoples, and their ancestral grounds were based on the eastern shores of the Kitsap Peninsula. The city of Seattle is named after the tribe's most famous leader, [[Chief Seattle]]. 

The [[Port Madison Indian Reservation]], located between [[Poulsbo, Washington|Poulsbo]] and [[Agate Pass]], is the modern Suquamish tribal center. The Kitsap Peninsula is also home to the [[Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe]], another branch of Coast Salish people; their tribal center is the [[Port Gamble S'Klallam Indian Reservation]] at [[Little Boston, Washington|Little Boston]], located on the northwest coast of the peninsula. A third subgroup of the Coast Salish are the [[Twana]], who historically also occupied the area around the Hood Canal. Their main center now is at [[Skokomish, Washington|Skokomish]]. 

The peninsula is connected to the eastern shore of Puget Sound by [[Washington State Ferries]], which run from [[Bremerton, Washington|Bremerton]] to [[Downtown Seattle]]; from [[Kingston, Washington|Kingston]] to [[Edmonds, Washington|Edmonds]]; and from [[Southworth, Washington|Southworth]] to [[West Seattle, Seattle|West Seattle]] via [[Vashon Island]]. Several passenger ferry routes are operated by [[Kitsap Fast Ferries]] from these terminals to Downtown Seattle.<ref>{{cite news |last=Baruchman |first=Michelle |date=February 5, 2020 |title=Kitsap Transit to launch additional Fast Ferry service between Bremerton and Seattle |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/kitsap-transit-to-launch-additional-fast-ferry-service-between-bremerton-and-seattle/ |work=[[The Seattle Times]] |accessdate=March 23, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Shuey |first=Tyler |date=January 29, 2025 |title=KT ferries carry record 1.22 million riders in '24 |url=https://www.bainbridgereview.com/news/kt-ferries-carry-record-1-22-million-riders-in-24/ |work=[[Bainbridge Island Review]] |accessdate=March 23, 2025}}</ref> It is also connected by the [[Tacoma Narrows Bridge]] from Point Fosdick to [[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]], and to the west, to the northeastern shore of the main [[Olympic Peninsula]] by the [[Hood Canal Bridge]].