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Home My WebLink About1800-2002 - Fort Dent ParkFort Dent Park o {]�^��(�[]^' ��[,^ ALan].Stein pooted1/U3/2UU3 0otoryLink.org Eanay4114 G,00"8ivor.Trai[?FortI]o"t.Pa,k?Tv*°ibo?.xp,ii7N?8G60 Phmn.UvJoo]MoUoL(CCBY�_SA.9iE) Fred ehuk]Dont?fo,^°hom.Fort]De,t^°asoamed.]Dent.was. thobrot he,i"Jaw»f.P,euidont.Uhmaoa3if;,a,ti Fort Dent Park inTukwila was once mwinter village for the DuvvanniehIndian tribe. After bmingpartiaiiyvacatmdfoikovvingtho signing ofthe 18GGPoint Elliott treaty, the site briefly became home toasmall military blockhouse. Years afterward the property was used aafarmland, until itbecame aKing County park in1SSO. In 2002 the park was transferred to the City of Tukwila. Meeting of Two Rivers Fort Dent Park iaLocated directly southeast ofthe former con#uenceofthe Black River and the Green River, where they merged tobecome the [)uvvarniahRiver. |n1S18,the construction ofthe Lake Washington Ship Canmitowered Lake Washington, causing the Black River todry up. Centuries prior tothis, the Fort Dent Park site was animportant winter settlement for the [}uvvarniah Indian tribe. The aboriginal name for the village was Sqoa'iqo,which meant "meeting oftwo rivero."|tconsisted oftwo Large houses, measuring GOby12Ofeet, and was Located along the northern shore ofWhite Lake, ashallow body ofwater situated southeast of the confluence. Other nearby villages included T'avvod|c("rivor duck")and S!qaU'in("badiooking'"adescription ofthe rock outcropping north ofthe Black Rivor). Native Americans believed that the Large hill farther tothe east of the village was part ofthe old world, before Moon The Transformer changed the Landscape around Puget Sound. They named this hill Svvavvatiutud,meaning "the old 8round." There Goes the Neighborhood Living near the confluence ofthe river, aawell aonext tothe take, brought much wealth and prestige tovillage residents. Salmon were plentiful. Ducks and geese were trapped innets orhunted with spears and arrows. Beaver and bear populated nearby wetlands. VVapatoa,atype oftuber, grew well inthe marshes. The combination ofthese abundant resources never left the inhabitants wanting. The first non -indigenous visitors tothe site were most Likely Hudson's Bay Company fur traders, who enjoyed brisk business Bridge.at.Fort.Dent.Park28668 Photo.by.Alan.Stein Green.River.at.Fort.Dent.Park?8668 Photo.by.Alan.Stein with the Indians in the 1830s. In 1850, Colonel Isaac Ebey (1818- 1857), on an exploratory expedition up the Duwamish River, noted the economic potential of the site. In 1853, the first settlers arrived. Joseph and Stephen Foster claimed land on the west side of the Duwamish River and began cutting trees south of the confluence. These were floated downstream to Henry Yesler's sawmill in Seattle. The next year, Henry Tobin took a nearby claim and built a sawmill along the Black River. Groves of trees began to fall. The Indian War Most of the Duwamish, Green River, and White River tribes were on friendly terms with the settlers. They traded knowledge about Local resources, as well as material goods, and also worked in the sawmills. These tribes were represented by Chief Noah Seattle (178?-1866), known for being a "firm friend of the Whites." On January 22, 1855, Chief Seattle was one of 81 Puget Sound tribe Leaders who signed the Point Elliott Treaty, which ceded ownership of most of the Puget Sound basin in return for money, education, health care, and other payments. The treaty also ordered all Indians to move to Port Madison Indian Reservation across Puget Sound. While many in the lower basin accepted the move, some members of the Puyallup and Nisquatty tribes farther upstream did not. On October 28, 1855, nine settlers were killed in attacks near Kent and Auburn. Three months later, the city of Seattle came under siege in what became known as the Battle of Seattle. The Native American attackers were driven off by artillery fire and by Marines from the U.S. Navy stoop -of -war Decatur, anchored in Elliott Bay. On their retreat upriver, the Indians burned and destroyed homesteads, including Joseph Foster's cabin and HenryTobin's sawmill. Dent in the Old Ground To protect the settlers from further attack, Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens ordered small forts and blockhouses to be built throughout Western Washington. One site chosen was near the village of Sqoa'lqo. Not only was the site strategic as a bottleneck between Seattle and the White River Valley, but there was also plenty of fishing, hunting, and potato gathering nearby to supply the military. The blockhouse at the confluence was built by the Washington National Guard, Company B, Ninth Infantry. Frederick T. Dent led this unit and gave his name to the fort upon its completion. Dent went on to become a colonel in the Civil War, and later an aide-de-camp to President Ulysses S Grant. Although ordered to leave for Port Madison, some Indians at Sqoa'lqo refused to go. They did not fight the government, but remained firm that they would live and die on ancestral land. In 1857, the Muckleshoot Reservation was created near Auburn for Green and White River groups, but one of the village leaders reiterated that they would rather die on their "old ground.' Change of Worlds For years, a small group of Indians stayed in the valley and refused to move. This caused problems for the settlers, who complained to the government that Indian fish weirs at the confluence impeded boat traffic. Nevertheless, homesteaders bought up the surrounding land and the Indians found decreasing access to the river. In 1871, Lewis V. Wyckoff, King County Sheriff, bought White Lake. Wyckoff commuted to Seattle by steamer from his riverside home. In 1876, he sold the property to Chris and Claus Jorgenson, who drained the lake to create farmland. By this time, the military had abandoned the fort. At the beginning of the twentieth century, only a few Indians were left along the Black River. Any issues over their use of the river's resources became moot when the river disappeared in 1916. The last few remaining moved to reservations or to nearby towns. Gone Are the Days When Chris Jorgenson retired around 1910, he divided his property amongst his children. His sons George and Otto received the land around Fort Dent, which they held until the 1960s. At that time, many developers had their eyes on the property, but when the passage of Forward Thrust bonds in 1968 led to the creation of many new parks throughout King County, Fort Dent was one of them Construction of the park began in 1972. The former White Lake site was covered with more dirt and leveled to create soccer fields and play areas. Any evidence of centuries of Native American occupation has long since been eradicated. King County operated the park until 2001, when a $52 million general fund shortfall led to the closure of 20 parks throughout the county. In 2002, the King County Council approved the transfer of park ownership to the City of Tukwila. This essay made possible by: King County Landmarks & Heritage Commission Hotel/Motel Tax Fund Sources: Dennis E. Lewarch, et al., "King County Metro Alki Transfer/CSO Project -- Allentown Site and White Lake Site Data Recovery,' Draft document dated 19 January 1996 for King County Department of Metropolitan Services; Kay F. Reinartz, Tukwila, Community.at.the.Crossroads (Tukwila: City of Tukwila, 1991), pp. 16, 26, 29, 263. Related Topics Environment Settters Licensing: This essay is licensed under a Creative Commons license that encourages reproduction with attribution. Credit should be given to both HistoryLink.org and to the author, and sources must be included with any reproduction. Click the icon for more info. 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