How Did Totem Poles Become A Symbol Of Seattle?

Totem poles are thought of as symbols of Seattle by many residents and visitors, but, in fact, the indigenous people of Washington state, the Coast Salish peoples, did not traditionally carve totems. Instead, these tall multi-figured poles originated much farther north on the Pacific coast and represent the crests of clans and family histories of the indigenous people of Coastal Alaska and Canada. The appropriation of this symbol by Seattle dates to the late 1800s, when entrepreneurial civic leaders sought to position Seattle as the “Gateway to Alaska” by installing an Alaskan pole downtown.

In August 1899, a group of Seattle businessmen sailed to Alaska in search of a pole. Their skipper took them to the Tlingit village of Tongass, which appeared abandoned because most of the residents were temporarily away for the summer fishing and cannery season. The Seattle group cut down a 60-foot-tall pole belonging to Chief Kininook’s family and towed it to Seattle… read more >