Totten Inlet

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Totten Inlet
Aerial view of south Puget Sound; Totten Inlet (bottom) branches into Oyster Bay (left)
LocationMason County and Thurston County, Washington
Coordinates47°9′20″N 122°59′26″W / 47.15556°N 122.99056°W / 47.15556; -122.99056
TypeInlet
EtymologyGeorge M. Totten
Part ofSouth Puget Sound
Ocean/sea sourcesSalish Sea
Sections/sub-basinsOyster Bay, Little Skookum Inlet
SettlementsOlympia, Washington, Steamboat Island
Location
Map

Totten Inlet lies in the southern end of Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington. The inlet extends 9 miles (14 km) southwest from the western end of Squaxin Passage, and much of the county line between Mason and Thurston counties runs down the center of it. A spit extends west for about 300 feet (91 m) from Steamboat Island. The inlet shoals gradually to near Burns Point, 100 feet high, on the south shore, where it bares at low tide.

Totten Inlet splits into two smaller inlets, Oyster Bay and Little Skookum Inlet. Oyster Bay, located south of Burns Point, is an extensive mudflat. Oysters are grown in this area, and there are log booms. Totten Inlet is one of Washington's most productive areas for growing oysters. Oysters grow extremely fast in the inlet's algae-rich water. Taylor Shellfish, the United States' largest producer of farmed shellfish, got its start in Totten Inlet and is still headquartered today near its waters.[1]

Totten Inlet was named by Charles Wilkes during the Wilkes Expedition of 1838–1842, to honor George M. Totten, one of the expedition's midshipmen.[2] Totten Glacier on the Budd Coast of Antarctica is also named for George Totten.

A great blue heron rests on an oyster raft in Totten Inlet

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "About Taylor Shellfish". Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  2. ^ "Thurston County Place Names: A Heritage Guide" (PDF). Thurston County Historical Commission. 1992. p. 88. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
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