Behind the Sign

On January 22, 1855 more than 2,000 natives of the Puget Sound area, represented by a dozen acknowledged tribal leaders, met with representative of the federal government of the United States at a place in Mukilteo, Washington known as Point Elliott to reach a “lands settlement agreement.” The resulting “Treaty of Point Elliott” effectively ceded more than 5 million acres of native land in exchange for retaining inherent rights to self-governance and self determination, as well as the right to fish in all “usual and accustomed places and to hunt and gather on all open and unclaimed land.” Additionally, the native peoples represented at Point Elliott were promised education, healthcare, and housing as well as "payment" for their ceded lands and abandoned homes. This is the first of three Tales of the Magic Skagit episodes that I’ll be devoting to the history of the Treaty of Point Elliott and its legacy. As one of the “New People” to the Skagit Valley, this is not a story I feel especially qualified to tell, so I’m relying on the excellent work that has been done by the Hibulb Cultural Center and Natural History Preserve, which is located on the Tulalip Reservation near Marysville.

Fifty miles from Mount Vernon along Hwy. 20, and about as many minutes driving time, you’ll find yourself at a pullout at Mile Marker 100 and deep in the heart of the Skagit Wild and Scenic River System. Near the confluence of three major rivers, prime eagle watching, abundant fisheries, and outstanding scenic beauty are the hallmarks of this remarkable landscape.

Ramon Rivera is a man who has dedicated his life to music and teaching. His passion for music started at a young age when his mother bought him a trumpet from a yard sale and said, "You're gonna be a mariachi someday." And she was right. Since then, Ramon's love for music has only grown. So has Mount Vernon's mariachi and folklorico program.

I recently had the honor of addressing the graduating class of Leadership Skagit 2023. I was proud to represent Meyer Sign in reflecting on the theme of "Sense of Place" from the perspective of host and producer of Meyer Sign's Tales of the Magic Skagit series. As we head into our fifth year in the series, my remarks to the Class of '23 reflect on the personal heroes I've acquired along the way.

One of my Magic Skagit heroes is Vi Hilbert (taqwšəblu), the subject of an earlier Tales of the Magic Skagit podcast series about her work in furthering the Lushootseed language, and in bridging the cultural divides between the First People and New People of the Skagit Valley. In the process of telling that story I was privileged to meet Vi's daughter, Lois Dodson. Lois passed away on November 16. The following is a remembrance of a remarkable person I wish I could have spent more time with.

If you like a good ghost story, Valerie Stafford has more than a few to tell you. We’re not talking about your run-of-the-mill, sit-around-the-campfire-eating-s’mores-giving-each-other-the-shivers genre of creep outs and urban legend gore. Oh, no, my friends. We’re talking real ghost stories here.

Christopher Columbus has long remained at the heart of the American origin story. But if you really want to get the historical record straight as to who "discovered" our country, you have to travel back many millennia to "time immemorial" and the original inhabitants and stewards of the land we call America.

On Thursday, September 21, Skagit Valley lost a living link to its pioneer history. Bruce McCormick (aka, “Honker”) passed away, just a few months shy of his 92nd birthday. This is our Tales of the Magic Skagit tribute to a friend, and a man who embodied the history of the Skagit Valley unlike anyone I've known.

The Skagit County Historical Museum’s current exhibit, “I Do!”, finishes its run at the “top of the hill” in La Conner at the end of the month. For her second “Tales of the Magic Skagit” story, I asked our Skagit Valley Youth History Project intern, Morgan White, to write a story about it based her visit to the exhibit, as well as a previous TMS podcast interview with museum executive director Jo Wolfe and collections manager Laney Moran. The result is an overview of the exhibit's narrative that spans more than a dozen pivotal periods in U.S. and Skagit Valley history.

In a display of old yearbooks at the Anacortes History Museum, there was one in particular that caught my eye: the 1934 “Rhododendron.” What was most immediately remarkable about it was its cover material, which appropriately for the Pacific Northwest was fashioned from wood rather than paper. Opening it was like unsealing a wood grained time capsule into which I peered briefly at the life of its former owner, Jeannette Wilson.

This is the story of an important step in restoring some balance to our historical notions of who we are as Skagitonians. It started with a visit to the Sedro-Woolley Museum from a woman whose husband had discovered an artifact that, according to museum president and executive director JoEllen Kesti, “turned out to be not only rare but of cultural significance.” That discovery culminated in the August 19, 2023 unveiling of a new museum exhibit dedicated to the history of the Upper Skagit Tribe before a standing room only gathering of not only tribal members, but those of the broader Skagit Valley community as well.

In a recent Tales of the Magic Skagit episode we introduced you to Morgan White, Meyer Sign’s very first intern in our “Skagit Valley Youth History Project.” For her first assignment, I asked Morgan to interview some of the artists who were part of this year’s Northwest Art Beat Studio Tour (NW Art Beat), and she came back with stories about five very talented Skagitonians whose work ranges from jewelry to painting, clay sculpture, and print making. Followers of Meyer Sign and Tales of the Magic Skagit, I give you Morgan White!