Location: Puget Sound, Washington State, USA
Who Considers it Sacred? Native Americans, Snoqualime Nation
Significance:Part of the Snoqualime tribe’s creation myth; considered to be inhabited by a water spirit with special spiritual attributes. The Falls are the site of many tribal battles, and is a burial place for the ancestors of the modern Snoqualime.
The Threat: Commercial development
Preservation Status: The Falls have become a tourist attraction in recent years, with an estimated one and a half million visitors each year. The Puget Sound Power & Light Company’s plans for power production threaten the integrity of the Falls’ water flow, and is under challenge by the Snoqualime tribe. In February of 1992, the Washington State Historic Preservation Office declared the Falls a “culturally significant Native American site.”
For More Information: Site Saver Newsletter Volume II, Number 3, Summer 1992
Photo: Pavel Poliansky