History Revisited

Thursday, 28 May 2009

British Fur Trade Encampment This weekend at Mission Point COMPILED BY CHRIS COWBROUGH S-E Editor The shores of Lake Roosevelt at Mission Point will come alive this weekend with the re-crea¬tion of an historic British fur trade encampment. Lake Roosevelt National Rec¬reation Area, The Friends of Spokane House and the Kettle Falls Historical Society are un¬derwriting the encampment Saturday and Sunday, May 31 and June 1. Mission Point, overlooking Lake Roosevelt and the former site of old Kettle Falls on the Columbia River, contains a multitude of stories that make up the history of the Inland Northwest. For at least 9,000 years, peo¬ple have been coming to the falls to fish and trade.  In a very short span of time (a little more than 100 years), the tribes made this area their home and fished the fabled falls for sustenance and survival.   Those days were drastically altered forever with the coming of Grand Coulee Dam down¬river. The living history group, Friends of Spokane House, will be on hand this weekend, por¬traying British fur traders.  They will be camped next to St. Paul’s Mission and will provide pro¬grams throughout the weekend.  Among the programs will be “Meet The People of the Fur Trade,”  “Fur Trade Fire Starting Methods,” firearms demonstra¬tions and a walking tour of Mis¬sion Point. The public is invited to step back in time and talk with the traders, voyageurs, trappers, Metis and Indian “Daughters of the Country.”  Take time to visit their camps and lodges; see their flintlock guns, tools, equipment, leather goods and hand-stitched clothing.  See open fire cooking, flint and steel fire starting, flintlock demon¬strations, period music and games. Another story of change along the river was the construction of Grand Coulee Dam.  The con¬crete monster stopped the flow of salmon up-river to one of the most verdant fishing grounds in the world. On Saturday, May 30, the an¬nual Salmon Feast will return to the falls.  The Colville Confeder¬ated Tribes plan to hold a day of drumming, dancing and feasting at the Kettle Falls Historical Center.   Tribal members will gather traditional roots in the wild to go with the salmon, cooked over a fire with other foods. This will be an alcohol-free event to celebrate The Ceremony of Tears when the damming of the river covered the falls and the fishing grounds in 1939.   The public is invited to enjoy the Pow-Wow atmosphere.  Do¬nations will be accepted for the salmon feast.   Mission Point is located north of Kettle Falls on Highway 395, just before heading over the bridge over Lake Roosevelt to Barney’s Junction.  Parking is less than one-fourth of a mile from the encampment site.  There will be handicap access.   The encampment will run on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The Kettle Falls Histori¬cal Center will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 03 June 2009 )