Celebrate the dedication at Sacajawea State Park, and enjoy the road trip getting there!

August 3, 2010

Confluence Project is delighted to announce the upcoming dedication festivities for Maya Lin's engraved basalt Story Circles at Sacajawea State Park on Friday, August 27, 2010, at 10 a.m.. The public is welcome to join us for this special event at the park in Pasco, Washington.

Maya Lin, along with local and regional dignitaries, artists, and musicians, will participate in the dedication program. A Tri-Cities dedication committee, representing local arts, education and business groups helped plan the event.

The seven Story Circles were envisioned and designed by Lin and crafted in stone by John Mendoza of Hell’s Canyon Rock. They feature intricate sandblasted vignettes and accompanying text that depict native plants, fish and animals. The beautiful illustrations are the work of Raphael Montoliu of Lakeport, California. Each circle has its own theme: Introduction/Welcoming, Seasonal Round, Salmon, The Rivers Before Dams, Tribes/The Longhouse, Trade and Coyote Myth. The textual engravings, called out in Sahaptin and in English, present discussions, labels and stories that complement the vignettes.

Sacajawea State Park is steeped in history and blessed with natural beauty. The emerald waters of the Columbia and Snake rivers come together at the park’s peninsula, which attracts multitudes of migrating Canada geese and is home to over 40 bald eagles. The dedication offers the opportunity to assemble at this place where Native people gathered for thousands of years, and to recognize the Lewis and Clark encampment at the site from October 16–18, 1805.

The journey to Sacajawea State Park
By Meaghan Stetzik
Make the trip enough times, and the landmarks start to identify themselves: The Hood River/ Government Camp exit takes you to the necessary coffee stop. Passing by Celilo requires a hopeful prayer. Somewhere between The Dalles and Arlington, we watch for the big-horn sheep that like to graze in the rocky hills.

Drawing closer to the point where we cross the Columbia and head back into Washington, an eerie tree farm we’ve dubbed the “fake forest” stretches in neatly ordered rows across acres and acres of land. Across the highway, also in neat rows, stand the chemical burning mounds of the Umatilla Army Depot. The long-anticipated mile marker 179 indicates the place where we switch to I-82 and cross the first bridge.

We pass vineyards and farmlands that bleed into strip malls and rural development. The highway turns into a maze of junctions, off ramps and traffic circles. Zipping around one circle, we exit through town and cross the breathtaking Ed Hendler Cable Bridge. The road entering into the park first travels down a long corridor of old industrial warehouses, railway pieces, hay storage and a collection of old buses.

We arrive at last! The park serves as the setting for huge events like the local Bluegrass Festival and smaller events such as family gatherings and picnics. People roll into the park on their bikes using the new bike trails. An interpretive center references some of the area’s history. This place feels well-loved and used.