About

For some 13,000 years, the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest were a community who lived in large communal longhouses subsisting on fish, shellfish, and wild game, as well as roots and berries. Whidbey and Camano Islands was occupied by several groups of Coast Salish Indians including Snohomish, Lower Skagit, and Kikiallus tribes.

​On January 22, 1855, the Treaty of Point Elliott, a land settlement treaty between the United States government and Native American tribes of the greater Puget Sound area, was signed at Point Elliott, now Mukilteo Washington, and ratified 8 March and 11 April 1859. Signatories to the Treaty of Point Elliott included Chief Seattle (si'ab Si'ahl) and Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens. Representatives from the Duwamish, Suquamish, Snoqualmie, Snohomish, Lummi, Skagit, Swinomish, (in order of signing) and other tribes also signed. The treaty established the Suquamish, Port Madison, Tulalip, Swinomish, and Lummi reservations.

​For many, the story and presence of those who sacrificed much of their original ancestral land will forever be a part of American history. A story of a people who cultivated, worked and nourished this land in hopes that all of its inhabitants would benefit from its wealth. This interpretive map is dedicated to the many Native tribes that called Whidbey and Camano Island home. May their stories and contribution to this area continue to hold a place in our memory.

Cassie Rittierodt, MLIS

Archivist ~ Island County Historical Society & Museum