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Upper Skagit Indian Tribe

The Upper Skagit people are descendants of a tribe that inhabited 10 villages on the Upper Skagit and Sauk rivers in western Washington state. The 84-acre Upper Skagit Reservation lies in the uplands of the Skagit River Valley, east of Sedro-Woolley in Skagit County. Another 15 acres of undeveloped commercial land lie along Interstate 5 near Alger.

A brief history

Flowing more than 125 miles from glaciers in the Canadian Cascade Mountains, through old-growth forests and farmlands to Skagit Bay in the Puget Sound, the Skagit River is western Washington's largest stream. Outside of Canada and Alaska, it is one of the few rivers that sustains all of its original salmon species: Chinook, Chum, Coho, Pink and Sockeye.

The Skagit River Valley was home to a number of Native American tribes known as the Coastal Samish, which comprised two linguistic groups: the Straits, including the Clallam, Lummi, Samish and Semiahmoo tribes; and the Lushootseed, including the Skagit, Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Swinomish and Upper Skagit. The river sustained the culture that inhabited its valley and the tribes flourished, thanks to the bounty of such natural resources as salmon, shellfish, sea mammals, upland game, camus root and cedar trees.

Cedar longhouses lay along the riverbanks from present-day Mount Vernon to Newhalem in northwest Washington, until the dwellers were compelled to resettle onto reservations in the mid-1800s. The Upper Skagit people lived along the Skagit River from Diablo, all the way west to its mouth. Archaeological digs have revealed evidence of human habitation in the Upper Skagit River basin dating to 8,500 years ago.

Extended families or bands lived in the longhouses. Cooking fires were positioned in the middle with ceiling holes directly above. Rafters served as drying racks for smoked salmon.

Skagit River salmon shaped human subsistence patterns. When the salmon run began, fishermen took canoes to fish camps, down to the mouth of the river.

The Skagit River's residents practiced basketweaving for untold generations. Artisans rendered riverbank roots, bark, and bear grass gathered in the forest, into an array of basket types. Some baskets were created for smoked salmon, others for dried meat or berries.

Elders' stories were woven from the river and its surroundings. The stories revealed to the next generation where the best salmon fishing was and where to hunt game in the mountains, how to find sacred ground in the mountains, conduct spiritual rituals and where to bathe in the river for healing. Spiritual ceremonies also were held, with smoke and fire as a medium.

Beginning in the 17th century, Spanish, English, and American explorers came into contact with Puget Sound tribes. Many years would pass before the first non-Indian settlers began to trickle into the Skagit Valley in 1846. Like their Native American counterparts, they were attracted to the valley’s plentiful natural resources — especially the fertile soil.

Following conflicts between land-hungry white settlers and Washington Indians in the 1850s, the territory's governor and Indian Agent, Isaac Stevens, drafted several peace treaties. The Point Elliott Treaty, signed on January 22, 1855 by about 80 tribal leaders, including headmen of the Upper Skagit tribe, called for Puget Sound tribes to cede vast tracts of land. In exchange, the tribes were paid a small amount of money and were assured federal health, education and welfare services as well as the prerogative to hunt and fish at their traditional places. In addition, some land was reserved for their use. The government said the Upper Skagit were not one distinct group; they would not be assigned a reservation.

The Point Elliott Treaty signatories and their people were expected to move onto the new Lummi, Swinomish or Tulalip reservations within a year of Congressional ratification, but some tribes resisted, often fiercely. Rather than ensure peace, the treaties touched off an Indian war in eastern Washington when some tribal members refused to relocate.

Following the U.S. government's acquisition of Native American land for settlers, it neglected for decades to fulfill its benefactor role as stipulated in the Point Elliott Treaty and others.

In 1870, Northern Pacific Railroad surveyors traversed Upper Skagit land. Then white settlers arrived in greater numbers. The native people were infuriated when settlers crossed over lands that held the remains of their ancestors. They also suffered from diseases traceable to white contact.

Longhouse spiritual activities were prohibited by the government after the treaties of the mid-1850s were signed. Determined to preserve their ancestral religion, the Indians practiced it in secret. In the 1880s, Indian children were prevented from practicing their religion when taken from their families and communities to government-run boarding schools.

Nearly 120 years following the Point Elliott Treaty and other treaties, the state of Washington attempted to regulate tribal fishing, but the tribes resisted on legal grounds: They already had the right to fish (and hunt) in their usual and accustomed places. The treaties had stipulated that the tribes were not giving up that right.

Put in mind of its treaty obligation, the federal government took the state to court. In 1974, U.S. District Judge George H. Boldt ruled that the tribes were entitled to 50 percent of the fish harvests. The tribes then became fishery co-managers with the state.

The 11 bands of Indians that comprised the Upper Skagit Tribe had historically inhabited the land between present-day Mount Vernon and Newhalem in northwest Washington -- ceded by treaty, but without land reserved for them. Years without a reservation home caused some Upper Skagits to move to other states.

Three hydroelectric dams were constructed on the Upper Skagit River, now in the North Cascades National Park:

  • Gorge Dam - wood (1923); masonry (1950); high concrete (1960)
  • Diablo Dam - (1927-30)
  • Ross Dam - first stage (1940); second and third stages (1949)
  • The resulting three reservoirs provide power for Seattle City Light. The three dams differ in height: Gorge - 300 feet, Diablo - 389 feet, and Ross - 540 feet. The nature of the river was changed forever.

    In January 1951, the tribe filed a claim with the federal government, stating that the monetary compensation for the lands ceded to the United States was negligently small. In September 1968, a final judgment ordered for the tribe to be awarded $385,471.42.

    The tribe gained formal federal recognition in the early 1970s. A tribal constitution and by-laws were approved by the Secretary of the Interior in 1974. In 1984, the Upper Skagit Tribe acquired a small reservation of federal trust* land east of Sedro-Woolley.

    The tribe's $28 million, Las Vegas style Skagit Valley Casino Resort opened in 1995 at Bow, halfway between Everett and Bellingham. The facility offers the members of the Upper Skagit Tribe an employment alternative to fishing and logging. In March 2001, an $11 million, 103-room hotel and conference center opened at the casino. In addition, the tribe bought into the Semiahmoo Resort on the northern Puget Sound shoreline in Blaine. Owned by the Trillium Corporation, Semiahmoo offers a number of resort activities, including two golf courses.

    Also in March 2001, the tribe received a $90,000 EPA grant to increase funding for the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe EPA General Assistance Program, which is used to reach compliance with tribal, state and federal environmental laws.

    In July 2004, the tribe was slated to receive $1,369,611 from HUD's Indian Housing Block Grant Program to promote affordable housing. The program provides funds for a full range of housing programs to tribes or tribally designated housing agencies.

    The Upper Skagit Tribe today

    Approximately 504 members are enrolled in the tribe with more than 450 members living on the reservation. The tribe is governed by a seven-member council. Council members serve for staggered three-year terms. The tribal chairperson and vice chairperson are selected for one-year terms by the entire voting membership. The tribal center is located about five miles east of Sedro-Woolley.

    There are approximately 30 full-time workers, depending upon seasonal fluctuations. There also are five contract employees.

    The tribe maintains an economic development office and has an economic development plan. It also has developed its own habitat restoration program.

    The tribe also operates an early childhood development center that provides services to children in Head Start, Child Care, and Prekindergarten. Through a partnership between Child Care, Head Start and Washington State’s PreK program, the Upper Skagit Tribe serves 20 children in a full-day, year-round classroom.

    At the Upper Skagit Tribal Health Facility in Sedro-Woolley, the tribe provides limited primary care services in a 4,500-square foot medical clinic built in 1995. The tribe operates a Family Services Program that employs a full-time physician's assistant, a public health nurse one day per week, two full-time community health representatives and one full-time alcohol counselor. Specialty services include Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP). Through a contract with the Lummi Nation, Upper Skagit purchases the on-site services of a nutritionist one day a week, a mental health counselor two days a week, and a physician one day per month. The tribe also provides outpatient substance abuse treatment services.

    In addition to such modern activities, the Upper Skagit people today maintain a strong tie to their ancestral culture. It is by preserving stories, traditions and customs that they preserve their tribal identity.


    *Land owned by the federal government, but maintained by a tribe.

    Location: 25944 Community Plaza Way, Sedro-Woolley Washington 98284 Telephone 360-856-5501

    Other History nearby:
    (Bellingham)
    American Museum of Radio and Electricity
    (Bellingham)
    American Radio Museum
    (Anacortes)
    Anacortes History Museum
    (Bellingham)
    Antique Radio Museum
    (Oak Harbor)
    CCC Interpretive Center
    (Coupeville)
    Central Whidbey Island Historic District


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    03/22 Coming to The Sedro-Woolley area
    Seattle Japanese Cultural Festival Seattle WA April26-28 The festival features Japanese exhibits, performances, and demonstrations. Held at the Seattle Center in the Fisher Pavilion. The annual festival began in 1976 with a gift of 1,000 cherry trees to the city of Seattle from the Japanese government to celebrate the U.S. Bicentennial.
    Apple Blossom Festival Wenatchee WA April1-May5 A delicious part of the Apple Blossom Festival is the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival Food Fair.
    Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest Leavenworth WA May16-19 Learn about the wide variety of migratory birds that come here for a brief, but important part of their year: the breeding season. Hear the songs sung only during the breeding season.
    Northwest Folklife Festival Seattle WA May24-27 Music and dance performances, visual arts, folklore exhibits, hands-on children's activities, workshops, crafts, food, demonstrations, and more!
    Berry Dairy Days Burlington WA June13-16 Fresh local strawberry shortcake, spectacular fireworks show, fabulous parades, Kiwanis Salmon BBQ, entertainment stage with live music, nostalgic Berry Cool Car Show.
    Bellevue Strawberry Festival Bellevue WA June22-23 Entertainment, an auto show, vendors, food, and family fun are all highly visible parts of the festivities.


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