Bounty of the Bay

Bounty of the Bay. The Story of a Royal Repast, 1859. , Early settlers to the Port Townsend area found a S'Klallam Indian community well established on the protected shores of Port Townsend Bay. This settlement, known as Kah Tai, meaning "to carry" or "pass through," was located on the portage route between the Straits of Juan de Fuca and Port Townsend Bay. Rather than attempt a treacherous trip around Point Wilson in unfavorable weather, natives carried their canoes overland, through the valley and marshlands, for safe passage., The chief of the Port Townsend band of S'Klallams, T'chits-a-ma-hun, was friendly to the growing white community and worked to maintain peace between his people and the newcomers. Most newcomers had difficulties pronouncing native names; their best efforts with T'chits-a-ma-hun produced the name most people remember him by today, Chetz-ze-moka. At the time of native-white encounter, the custom was to give natives the names of European royalty. Chet-ze-moka was dubbed the "Duke of York.", A remarkable friendship developed between Chet-ze-moka and newcomer James Swan, a well-educated gentleman from Massachusetts [who] came to Port Townsend by way of San Francisco and Shoalwater Bay, now called Willapa Bay. He was a perceptive and avid diarist, recording detailed accounts of experiences among the Northwest Coast natives. In one account, published in the May 19, 1859 San Francisco Evening Bulletin, Swan describes an outing on Port Townsend Bay with Chet-ze-moka and his family., San Francisco Evening Bulletin, May 19, 1859. , "Shortly after my arrival (to Port Townsend) he invited me to accompany him on a fishing excursion to Chemakum Creek, five or six miles up the bay... we started in the following manner: The Duke of York, Jenny Lind (Chet-ze-moka's second wife) and myself were in one canoe, and General Gaines (Chet-ze-moka's brother), Queen Victoria (Chet-ze-moka's first wife), Mrs. Gaines (Chet-ze-moka's brother's wife) and General Walker-the Duke's youngest child- were in another canoe... we passed several Indians who had been fishing, most of whom made presents to the Duke and Jenny of various kinds of fish.... The squaws... went ashore and soon dug two or three baskets of clams... and we proceeded to the mill (at Chimacum Creek). We found on landing a number of squaws who had taken some fifty splendid trout. We soon had our lines in the water and had very good luck...., "The tide coming up put a stop to our fishing, and we began to prepare for eating. The proprietor of the mill, Mr. Hoff, very politely invited me to dine with him; but I told him that as the Duke had invited me to join his party, I preferred to dine Indian style. Our dinner consisted of clams, roast and boiled, broiled salmon, roasted trout, mussels, oysters and barnacles, the last a dish I never ate before, but which I found delicious.... After the barnacles, we were served up by way of dessert, with an immense roasted skate...., "At length the skate was pronounced to be done, and each one prepared to eat, by grasping a handful of hot fish, and after giving it a rinse in a pan of cold water, conveying it to the mouth...., "Dinner being over, we again tried to catch some trout, but without success, as the fish would not bite while the tide was running up. We had no need of servants to clear away our dinner-table, as while we were fishing a couple of hogs come along and eat [sic] up every fragment of the royal repast on the beach at Chemakum. We returned to Port Townsend in the order we went and reached home by sundown, having passed a very pleasant day."