Brinnon is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 907 at the 2020 census. The community is named for Ewell P. Brinnon, who in the late 1850s took a donation land claim at the mouth of the Duckabush River. Its known landmarks include Dosewallips State Park, Triton Cove State Park, Murhutt Falls, and Black Point Marina. Brinnon is also adjacent to Camp Parsons, the oldest Boy Scout camp west of the Mississippi River.
History
thumb|BSA Camp Parsons
White settlers began arriving in the area that would become Brinnon, then referred to as both Quogaboos and Ducaboos, in the 1850s. Ewell P. Brinnon, a settler who later became the namesake of the settlement, took a donation land claim in the late 1850s at the mouth of the Duckabush River. In 1891 Brinnon was established when the post office began operations in the settlement.
Camp Parsons was founded in 1919 just outside the north end of Brinnon. The camp is the oldest Boy Scout camp west of the Mississippi River.
Geography
Brinnon is located approximately north of Olympia, on the Olympic Peninsula's east side. It sits on the west side of Hood Canal on the eastern edge of the Olympic National Forest.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 2.57%, are water. The CDP extends from Wawa Point in the north, just south of Jackson Cove, to the Mason County line in the south at Triton Cove, and includes the unincorporated communities (from north to south) of Seal Rock, Brinnon, and Duckabush. The Dosewallips River crosses the north-central part of the CDP and enters Hood Canal at Brinnon Flats just north of the settlement of Brinnon, while the Duckabush River crosses the south-central part of the CDP, entering Hood Canal at Duckabush village, just south of Black Point.
Climate
Brinnon experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) and is almost categorised as part of the Csb climate category, receiving slightly more than , the threshold for Cfb inclusion.
Demographics
As of the census
Except for slowdowns during the Great Depression and during an oversupply of timber in the mid-1950s the timber industry grew along with the need for commercial services. The area's productivity was supported by the Puget Sound mosquito fleet that served the area by bringing in mail, supplies, and job seekers. The boats also brought visitors and as a result, the tourist industry began to grow. As the tourist industry grew, so did the number of lodging establishments. The Olympic Inn operated for much of the 20th century as a destination resort near Seal Rock, but ultimately closed in the early 1970s. Brinnon's tourist industry reached its peak in the area during the 1950s and 1960s, but thanks to its proximity to Olympic National Park and its state parks, the settlement continues to receive campers and tourists.
Infrastructure
Transportation
thumb|U.S. 101 through Brinnon, Washington
U.S. Route 101 runs the length of Brinnon, leading south to Olympia and north to Port Angeles. What would become known as Brinnon had been connected by rudimentary roads to Quilcene to the north as early as 1894. It was not until the mid-1920s that the settlement would be easily accessible by road with the completion of bridges over the Dosewallips and Duckabush Rivers along what would become U.S. Route 101. U.S. Route 101 is the only public road leading in or out of Brinnon. This can isolate the community's residents if the road is washed out or blocked by a landslide, an occurrence that is not uncommon.
During the late 19th and 20th centuries Brinnon was served sporadically by ferry, connecting it to other Hood Canal communities and Seattle. A ferry between Brinnon and Seabeck on the Kitsap Peninsula was established in 1921, but has since ceased operation making travel by road the primary way to access the community. The ferry route last appeared on Washington State Department of Highways maps in 1949, though some sources suggest that ferry ended operations earlier in 1941. The Hood Canal Bridge now serves to connect the communities of eastern Jefferson County to Kitsap County and points east. Brinnon's Pleasant Harbor is served by Kenmore Air with seaplane charter flights.