In 1995, the gardens were designed for Wild Olympic Salmon by Linda Landkammer, a landscape designer from Port Townsend.  Then in 1996, local volunteers built paths, incorporated compost into the gravelly beds and installed plants with funds from a Jefferson County Parks Department grant.  In 1997, school children from Chimacum Elementary planted Yarrow seeds in the meadow and many boulders were placed.   A donation from The Tri Area Garden Club in 2000 made it possible to add more plants and bark for weed control. Keith Wheller, a local designer specializing in natural boulder placement, created an aesthetically pleasing arrangement in The Mountain Garden.  Sara Mall Johani, originator and co-founder of Wild Olympic Salmon, named the gardens after Chief Kul Kah Han, the last known Indian chief of the Chemakum tribe who, in the 1850s lived not far from the gardens and used many of these native plants on a daily basis.

Wild Olympic Salmon invites other non profit organizations who wish to demonstrate their support of native plants to be represented on the planning board.  In 2003, the following organizations were involved, each focusing on a particular garden area:    

If you are interested in learning more about northwest native plants, working with fine people and helping us make these gardens a reality, call Linda Landkammer, Project Coordinator, at 379-8733 for more information.