News

In one circle, a list of trade items that Native people brought to the site will underscore its importance as a crossroads for western tribes. In another circle, text from a traditional Yakama and Klickitat story will remind visitors how the now-endangered salmon were once plentiful and life-sustaining for Native people in the area. Other circles will feature text from Lewis and Clark’s journals, names of the seasons in the Native Sahaptin language and the names of six species of salmon in Sahaptin, with translations from Virginia Beavert, a Yakama elder and Sahaptin speaker.

Plans from project partners Jones & Jones Architects and Landscape Architects Inc. also call for restoring the native riparian habitat with sagebrush, indigenous shrubs, native grasses, and native trees such as black cottonwood and chokecherry. Construction will begin in spring 2009, and a dedication is planned for spring 2010.