Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain to Participate in Chinook Trade Re-Enactment

Aberdeen, WA - The brig Lady Washington, the Official Ship of the State of Washington, and the topsail ketch Hawaiian Chieftain will participate in a re-enactment of an 18th century fur trade meeting at Fort Columbia State Park on Sunday, October 3. The vessels will rendezvous with as many as 40 Chinook Nation paddlers in the Columbia River offshore of the park, which is just south of the town of Chinook on US Highway 101. The event is scheduled to take place 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The free living history event is titled “Chinook Nation – U.S.A: International Trading Partners 1792-2010.” The program is offered through a partnership between the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, the Washington State Historical Society, the Chinook Nation, the National Park Service, and Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority.

The public is invited to view the trading activities with crews on Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain from Fort Columbia State Park. The land at the park is the traditional home for the Chinook Nation. Tribal interpreters will be on-site near the restored theatre at the park’s entrance to orient visitors to the trade re-enactment as it unfolds.

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Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain crew meet regularly with Chinook canoe paddlers to ask formal permission from tribal elders to sail on the Columbia River during the ships’ visits. After the event, both vessels will sail for California to begin their 2010-2011 living history education programs in the Golden State.