Originally a summer trading post between the Natives who hunted the area and the seafarers who needed fresh meat and other supplies on their voyages. As settlers started moving west and the gold rush had hundreds of people rushing to find their fortunes, the small trading post grew. Situated on a bay, close enough to the vast ocean but back far enough to avoid ocean storms, it flourished into a town. In 1869 as more moved in and the need for an organized government arose, Grimlocke became an official town.
There also was a secret to the original trading post that the Natives protected. It wasn’t just a trading post with those on sea worthy vessels, but for those who avoided contact with humans. Considering how Salem handled any hint of supernatural, those who had come to the new land, fled to the west long before the settlers had thought to leave the safety of the settlements. They befriended the Natives who helped them learn skills and some became absorbed into the tribes for survival.