Seattle's Lower Salmon Bay Now and Then
Now and then views of lower Salmon Bay below the Locks
Since time immemorial the Shilshole or šilšul (or Shilshoolabsh) people lived on what is now called Salmon Bay in Seattle.
Located on the northwest shores part of Seattle, Salmon Bay splits the Ballard neighborhood from Magnolia and was once a saltwater inlet stretching as far east as Fremont.
The village once had two 100’ longhouses and one large house for ceremonies, all inside Salmon Bay what is now Ballard.
As lushootseed speaking people the endonym is šilšulabš, which means "people of šilšul" or "needle-threading people". This refers to the narrow entrance into Salmon Bay which was only accessible at higher tides. Read more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shilshole_people
The village was called 'Tucked Away Inside' for its hidden protected view from the Sound and raiding tribes from the north. It was about where the Lockspot Cafe is now just inside the Locks.
Hwelchteed, also known as ‘Salmon Bay Charlie’ was the last hereditary chief of the Shilshole people. He and his wife Cheethluleetsa (also known as Madeline), lived in this small Salish style shed home on the Magnolia side of the channel.
Hwelchteed and his wife were evicted from their home in 1913 to make way for the Ballard Locks. They didn’t leave until 1914 when she passed and he was forced out, moving to the Port Madison Reservation across the Sound.
The little point his house was perched on was removed and the sandbars across the bay were dredged to make way for the boating channel for the Locks.
In 1917 Salmon Bay was split in two by the Ballard Locks which creating a freshwater lake above. The old village was probably partially or fully submerged by the rising waters behind the Locks which came up nine feet.
Today you can paddle up lower Salmon Bay on a -2.5 to -3 tide and see the original dredged channel.
This image shows the Magnolia (west shore). Hwelchteed’s cabin was about where the metal dock is that extends out.
The dredged shoreline is so steep I saw a homeowner throw a crab pot into the water.
Resources:
Check out Coll Thrush's book Native Seattle which shows village sites and other important pre-contact places.
Also check Paul Dorpat's Seattle Times article on Salmon Bay. Lots of 19th century photos and maps.
Waterway, by David Williams is a great read about the development of the shipping canal.
Check out David William’s SubStack Street Smart Naturalist
Related Posts:
Where Salmon Bay Meets Shilshole Bay, Past to Present