A Charming Day from Seattle

OK here is a little poll....how many of you have visited, or live in, Seattle?   Raise your hands so I can get a count!   Hmmmm.... 14, 17, 20, 37, 42....lots of you, a majority of you I'd say.

Now, how many of you have visited the grave of the great Chief Seattle?  Oh oh.  I see only a few of you wiggling your fingers up.  And how many of you went because I made you?  I see my relatives' hands!

You don't see much about Chief Seattle (which is not the exact pronunciation as the white people were incapable of duplicating the sounds of the coastal natives' languages) in the history books, but he was a great chief who wanted peace, united various tribes, and did much for the "pale faces".  He was also a visionary because, when the earliest settlers arrived, he understood the scope of their numbers and that change was inevitable.  He was a friend to the people who named their city after them, and  beloved by both his people and mine.

Chief Seattle is buried in the modest graveyard of the Suquamish Indians, located adjacent to a tiny Catholic church in the town of Suquamish.  To get here from Seattle, drive onto the Bainbridge Island ferry (a favorite tourist ferry ride, Bainbridge itself is worth the visit.)  After docking at Bainbridge the road you exit onto will take you across the island to the Agate Pass bridge to the Kitsap Peninsula.   Shortly after crossing the bridge you will see the Clearwater Casino and Resort on the left, and here you will look for the signs on the right pointing to Chief Seattle's grave.   Look sharp, they are small!   A few minutes and a few turns  later you will see the church on the left so park in the lot, and enter the modest yet heartfelt cemetery.  You will immediately know where to go....

as this is really the only monument of note.  He was originally laid to rest in a simple plot but in 1890 a group of Seattle pioneers, who had known the chief, erected the inscribed monument over the grave.   In the 1970s, the grave was marked with four posts with sidebars  shaped like the canoes used by the local tribes.  You could physically walk up to the monument within this framework.  Recently, the grave has been surrounded by a low cement wall with imprinted phrases attributed to Seattle in both English and Lushootseed, his language.   Work is ongoing at the cemetery.         

My first visit was years ago when I was driving to visit relatives on the Olympic Peninsula.   I saw the very small sign and was curious.  What I found was a tiny corner of the world that was beautiful, peaceful, and honored a fine man.  I noticed that gifts were left, from flowers to shells to little stuffed animals to whatever someone wanted to leave.  So now I bring something too. 

Every August, his tribe honors him with a ceremony during Chief Seattle Days, started in 1911 by tribal members and civic leaders from Seattle.  Besides a graveside memorial, the festivities include an Indian Salmon bake,  canoe races, native drumming and dancing competition and much more.  Next year will be the 100th celebration.  True Indian salmon bakes used to be a staple in this area but are dwindling.  Sockeye baked over alder...there's nothing like it.   With eight children, there are still many descendants of the chief in the area so perhaps I'll go next year and hope to meet them!

The rest of the small cemetery is interesting to explore, with some markers fascinating in their simplicity.  And there are a few other things that might interest you nearby. 

Turn left from the parking lot and you will be in the town of Suquamish in about 10 seconds, perhaps have a bite to eat, but mostly so you can see the breathtaking view across Puget Sound to the high rises of his namesake city in the distance over Bainbridge Island.   The burly snow covered  Mt. Rainier further south makes the view even more of a treat.  You will have also seen signs pointing toward Old Man House, almost a pocket park, where stood the massive home where Seattle and his family lived along with a number of other chieftains.   Part residence, part potlatch site, this building was erected using traditional coastal methods sometime before 1800 but no longer stands.  The little park is on the water along Agate Pass, close to Suquamish, and has  informational signs illustrating both the ecological and historic importance of the area.  Nearby is the Suquamish Museum.  The House itself probably covered over an acre and must have been easily spotted by early explorers.  Chief Seattle said he met Captain Vancouver during his childhood,  a distinct possibility.

This is a wonderful less-than-a-day trip if you have a car.  Best to go on a sunny day as views are quite spectacular.  In the winter when the leaves are down, they are even better. Other stops can be made, too.   Although I am not a casino person, the Clearwater complex  is nice, and  the resort and the grounds are lovely with lots of Native American art displayed throughout.  Do make time to stop in Winslow, near the ferry terminal on Bainbridge.  My personal favorites are Cafe Nola,  the Bainbridge Bakery for peanut butter and jelly pull-aparts (ask them to be heated up!),  locally made ice cream at Mora's, and a while spent browsing at Eagle Harbor Bookstore, but all of the businesses here are a treat. 

My commercial: offseason travel is always a bargain.  You won't want to be doing your walking or biking tours then...but museums, cultural events, and just shopping and dining can allow you get to know places in another way.   Visiting the Christmas Markets along the Danube in Germany by riverboat,  going to concerts and shows,  and just doing some of the "indoorsy" things you wouldn't be doing during warmer months are all advantages of traveling when rates are low.  Check with me for business class air and famed hotels at (relatively) bargain basement prices.   anne@specialtycruise.com or call me at 888-857-7379 9-5 PST.