Mukilteo in Snohomish County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)
The Salmon People
sʔuladxʷbixʷ xʷəʔaʔxʷəʔ
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 1, 2021
1. The Salmon People Marker
In 1853, Washington's territorial governor Isaac Stevens identified 30 different Indian tribes in the Puget Sound area. A presidential order directed him to sign treaties with them. The Point Elliott Treaty, signed on this waterfront in 1855, sought vast portions of the territory in exchange for various goods and services. Chiefs were to receive annuities; schools were to be provided. All of it required the tribes to move to areas set aside as reservations. The Coast Salish people wanted assurances their fishing rights would be preserved. Fishing was - and still is - a core part of their culture, their way of life. To the Coast Salish tribes, fishing is no less important than the air they breathe.
The schools established under the treaty taught farming (not fishing) in English (not Lushootseed) and Christian religion (not tribal spiritualism). The focus on these nearly erased tribal language, history, culture, values, and spirituality. This is why you see Northern Lushootseed words and phrases throughout the site as a way of honoring the tribes' tradition and language and helping to foster their growth.
Erected by Washington
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Environment • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1853.
Location. 47° 57′ N, 122° 17.876′ W. Marker is in Mukilteo, Washington, in Snohomish County. It can be reached from Front Street. Marker is on the Mukilteo Ferry Terminal grounds. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mukilteo WA 98275, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Puget Sound Region and in Greater Seattle. It is also on the American Pacific Coast, in the Pacific Northwest, and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, in the Cascade Range, in the Inside Passage, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Orca People (a few steps from this marker); Permission to come ashore (a few steps from this marker); Historic Mukilteo
via Seattle Times, 1912
2. This is a summer residence circa 1912 on the Skokomish River
"Coast Salish people persevered in the Puget Sound region despite settlers who took their land and forced them into unfair treaties"
Seattle Times website entry
Click for more information.
Seattle Times website entry
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Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. The Tulalip Tribes. Tribe website homepage (Submitted on August 11, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. The Lushootseed Peoples of Puget Sound Country. University of Washington Libraries website entry (Submitted on August 11, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
3. Salmon Stories of Puget Sound Lushootseed-speaking Peoples. History link website entry (Submitted on August 11, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 1, 2021
3. The Salmon People Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 9, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 11, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 282 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 11, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 2. submitted on October 9, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 3. submitted on August 11, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
