Week 19: May 11-17
May 11, 1792
On this day, American fur trader Robert Gray entered the major river of the Pacific Northwest in his ship, the Columbia Rediviva. Indian peoples had lived and navigated along Wimahl (“Big River”) for tens of thousands of years, and Europeans had been sailing the Northwest Coast for more than 200 years. However, Gray was the first non-Indian to succeed in entering Wimahl, which he renamed the Columbia River after his ship.
May 13, 1977
On this day, the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center opened its doors in Discovery Park, located in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood. Founded by the Native American leader Bernie Whitebear, with the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation as its parent organization, the Daybreak Star Center would serve as an “urban base for Native Americans in the Seattle Area,” by providing invaluable cultural, educational, and social services to local Native American communities.
May 14, 2005
May 16, 1942
May 17, 1999
May 17, 1858
This post is in partnership with HistoryLink, and Warren Seyler, former chairman Spokane Tribe of Indians, the Black Muse Resource Center, and the Living Arts Cultural Heritage.
We encourage you to engage in further research through your local historic societies, museums, archives, and community.
