Spokane in Spokane County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)
Garry Chief of the Spokanes
Photographed by LaVonne Whitaker, August 30, 2025
1. Garry Chief of the Spokanes Marker
Garry
Chief of the Spokanes
Died Jan. 12, 1892
His life spanned the unfolding of the Spokane Country from the days of fur traders at Spokane House to the activities of a modern city.
Nina Garry
Erected 1925 by Spokane Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Daughters of the American Revolution series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1892.
Location. 47° 39.543′ N, 117° 27.956′ W. Marker is in Spokane, Washington, in Spokane County. It can be reached from North Government Way, on the right when traveling south. This marker is near the entrance to the Greenwood Memorial Terrace cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 211 N Government Way, Spokane WA 99224, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Mountain West and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Pacific Rim, the Western Hemisphere, the Western
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Edward John "E.J." Brickell (within shouting distance of this marker); James "Jimmie" Durkin (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Spokane's Greatest Human Tragedy (about 500 feet away); Rebecca Jane Reba Hurn (approx. 0.2 miles away); Llewellyn Marks "Louis" Davenport (approx. 0.2 miles away); Robert Edmund Strahorn Early Railroad Entrepreneur 1852-1944 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Seth Thomas Woodard (approx. 0.2 miles away); Walter Lawson (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Spokane.
Also see . . . Chief Spokane Garry (ca. 1811-1892) (HistoryLink.org essay 8713). Excerpt:
Chief Spokane Garry was a chief of the Spokane Tribe whose long, and ultimately tragic life spanned the fur-trading, missionary, and white settlement eras of the region. His father, also a Spokane chief, sent Garry off with fur traders at age 14 to be educated at the Red River Settlement's missionary school in Canada. Garry returned after five years, fluent in English and French, to become an(Submitted on October 2, 2025.)influential leader and spokesman for his tribe. He opened a rough school to teach reading and writing and also taught his fellow tribesmen agricultural techniques. He participated in many peace councils, including those of 1855 and 1858, and was known as a steadfast advocate of peace and an equally steadfast advocate of a fair land settlement for his tribe. He never wavered on his insistence that the Spokane people should have the rights to their native lands along the Spokane River, a goal which proved unattainable. His own farm in what is now the Hillyard area of Spokane was stolen from him late in life and he and his sadly diminished band were forced to camp in Hangman Valley, where boys from the growing city of Spokane would throw rocks onto their tepees. A kindly landowner allowed Garry and his family to camp in Indian Canyon, where he lived out the rest of his life in poverty. He died there in 1892 and was buried in a pauper's grave. Decades later, a Spokane city park was named after him and a statue erected in his honor.Photographed by Shirley A Stirling, August 30, 20252. Garry Chief of the Spokanes Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 1, 2025, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. This page has been viewed 96 times since then and 49 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 1, 2025, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
