Description

This totem pole stands in the middle of historic Pioneer Square, known as the “first neighborhood of Seattle”.

The Pioneer Square Totem Pole stands tall but unobtrusive in the middle of this square. It is actually a replica of a previous totem pole that was damaged by vandals in 1938 and restored by CCC woodcarvers and then restored again in 1972. It is one of three structures that are listed as a National Historic Landmark as well as being a contributing structure in the Pioneer Square Skid-Road District. It’s also, coincidentally, listed as part of three structures in the National Register of Historic Places. The following text is taken from the National Park Service website and describes this pergola:

“In the heart of Pioneer Square, the land from which Seattle’s industrial base grew, stand the Iron Pergola and the Tlingit Indian Totem Pole. This property was originally the site of the city’s first mill, built in 1853 by Henry Yesler. A massive street-straightening project in the 1880s led the city to condemn the land, and then turned it into a public square… The Totem Pole first appeared in 1899, after members of the Chamber of Commerce, vacationing in Alaska, stole it from Tlingit Indians. The men gave the object to the city as a gift, but the tribe justly sued for its return and $20,000 in damages. The courts found the men guilty of theft, but fined them only $500 and allowed the city to retain ownership. In 1938, the pieces that remained after vandals set the Totem Pole on fire were sent back to Alaska, where Tlingit craftsmen (working as CCC craftsmen from the Saxman workshop) graciously carved a reproduction. The new pole was soon dedicated, with tribal blessings, at a Potlatch celebration and has since remained unharmed on Pioneer Square. It now stands as symbol of the complicated relationship between American Indians and European Americans.” — NPS website