Chief Si`ahl and the Duwamish

When Captain George Vancouver’s fleet worked its way through Puget Sound, it did not go unnoticed. The Duwamish tribe, among other groups indigenous to the area, watched carefully from the shore. Among them was a boy who would become one of the most famous Duwamish leaders, and a key player in the survival of the fledgling settlement.

Chief Si`ahl, known for his peaceful ways and strong leadership, met the second group of European-American settlers at Alki Point in 1851. The city bears his name, Seattle, while his descendants lack federal recognition.

The Duwamish, having lived in the region for over 8,000 years by the time the settlers arrived, offered a wealth of knowledge, acting as guides and instructing the settlers in skills necessary for surviving in the Pacific Northwest. In 1866, the same year Chief Seattle died, recommendations were made to the United States Government that a reservation be established for the tribe. Due to backlash from the city’s citizens and civic leadership however, a reservation never materialized.

After significant struggles, the Duwamish tribe was granted federal recognition in 2001, only to have the ruling reversed in 2002. In the absence of federal recognition, the tribe formed Duwamish Tribal Services, a 501(c)(3) providing services for over 600 enrolled members. They continue their fight for recognition today.

The Duwamish tribe is holding its Longhouse Gala and Auction on Saturday, June 4th at 4pm to benefit Duwamish Tribal Services and the Duwamish Longhouse Project . Festivities will include native entertainment, buffet-style dinner, wine reception, and art auctions. If you are interested in attending, or for more information, contact the tribal office at (206) 431-1582 or check out the tribe's official website: www.duwamishtribe.org

The Ghoul of Gray's Harbor

The Pacific Northwest has a reputation for more than just rainfall. Our sometimes gloomy and often mysterious corner of the country is known for having been home to some of the most notorious serial killers of all time, some of whom struck fear into the hearts of Washingtonians almost 75 years before Gary Ridgeway and Ted Bundy made the news. These were some of the earliest known serial killers in the US, including Dr. Linda Hazzard, who seemed to have acted out of a misguided belief that she held the answers to life itself… but Gregg Olsen’s Starvation Heights tells that story best.

One of the least well-known, and possibly most prolific killers, was an individual who arrived in Aberdeen, WA around the turn of the 20th century. Hardly the sort of man who faded into the background, Bill Gohl came to Washington with a reputation for violent outbursts and dubious activities; and shortly after he arrived, merchant sailors began to go missing in droves, their bodies often turning up in the Wishkah River.

Upon docking in Aberdeen, sailors would go to the union office to pick up their mail and put small amounts of money into savings. Unfortunately for them, Billy Gohl was their union official. Gohl would assess each sailor who came into his office, determining whether he had family who would miss him, and if he had valuables worth keeping; then Gohl would shoot the sailors in the head, depositing their bodies into the river via a chute or trapdoor. Other bodies, of immigrant loggers and travelers, were also found in the river, in numbers so high that they were referred to as the “Floater Fleet”. It is estimated that at least 140 men died this way, possibly more.

Gohl was active until 1910, when police caught on to his suspicious behavior. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in the penitentiary, but was moved shortly thereafter to an asylum for the criminally insane (Eastern State Hospital in Spokane) where he died of pneumonia in 1927.

Mae West Day

The Market has had a host of celebrities walking through it over the years. I remember seeing Jack Nicholson outside of Place Pigalle. Kurt Cobaine used to walk routinely through the Atrium on his way to Tenzing Momo. President Clinton held a rally on Pike Place and George W Bush supposedly rubbed Rachel's nose for good luck. None have meant as much as the Market's own celebs. Mae West is one such person.

Our Mae was an elderly and eccentric woman who visited the Market daily. She was known for her raunchiness as much as she was known for her consistency. Mae would flirt with the many men in the Market, stopping by the fish markets and waving. She often sat for shopkeepers so so folks could take breaks. She was loved so much that May 18th was proclaimed Mae West Day in the city of Seattle.

While Mae is no longer with us the celebration of her day remains a part of the city's calendar. Happy Mae West Day, May 18, 2011!