Tall sailing ships came to the Pacific Northwest beginning in the mid-1700s. Met by native Salish people, the ships brought Spanish, British, Russian, and American explorers, as well as settlers and entrepreneurs to the Puget Sound region. Over the next two centuries, during boom and bust periods, these majestic vessels continued to ply the waters of Puget Sound. Today the proud tall ships operate in a training and education rather than commercial context.