OLYMPIA – June 3, 2015 – The Friends of Spokane House (FOSH) re-enactors will present a weekend of local fur trade history from the years 1810 through1826 at the 2015 Fur Trade Symposium and Encampment in Riverside State Park.
The free event takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, June 13 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, June 14 at Riverside State Park’s Spokane House Interpretive Center, 13501 N. Nine Mile Rd, Nine Mile Falls, WA. (Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/a1xIQ)
On Saturday afternoon, guests can attend a symposium on the Spokane House. Topics will include: Spokane Tribal History; Women of the Fur Trade; Fur Trade Music and Spokane House History.
Guests may visit the Spokane Interpretive Center then talk with traders, voyageurs, trappers and Native American “Daughters of the Country” at their campsites where trade items, guns, tools, furs and equipment can be viewed. The re-enactors will be in authentic leather and hand-stitched clothing. Demonstrations will feature flint and steel firestarting, flintlock shooting and a cannon salute.
Saturday is a “free day” at the park in recognition of National Get Outdoors Day; the Discover Pass will not be required. The Discover Pass will be required for motor vehicle entrance to Sunday’s event. A day pass is $10 and the annual Discover Pass is $30. (More information about the Discover Pass is at www.discoverpass.wa.gov.)
The Living History and Fur Trade Encampment is free to visitors and is co-sponsored by Washington State Parks and Friends of Spokane House (FOSH). For more information, visit the FOSH website at www.friendsofspokanehouse.com.
About the Spokane House
Spokane House, located at Riverside State Park, was built in 1810 by Jaco Finlay at the request of David Thompson, a fur trader with the Northwest Company. The present site of the Spokane House Interpretive Center is at the original location of the old post. The Spokane House offered a convenient and safe site for local and regional tribal trading partners. Besides working with Spokane, Kootenai, Pend Oreille, Flathead and Coeur d'Alene tribes, Finlay also employed many displaced Iroquois Indians who were French speakers from their alliance with the French during the French and Indian Wars. The Iroquois introduced the French place names in the region.
Later, when Thompson's Kullyspell House on Lake Pend Oreille was abandoned, Spokane House took on major importance as a fur trading center. During the early1800s, there was bitter competition between the Northwest Company, the Hudson's Bay Company belonging to the British and the American John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company based in what is now Astoria, Oregon.
About Washington State Parks
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission manages more than 100 state parks and properties totaling approximately 120,000 acres. The Commission provides a variety of recreation opportunities for citizens and provides stewardship protection for a diverse array of natural, cultural and historic resources. State Parks’ statewide programs include long-distance trails, boating safety and winter recreation.
Follow Washington State Parks:
Share your favorite state park adventure on the State Parks’ blog site at www.AdventureAwaits.com.
Support state parks by purchasing your annual Discover Pass today, and enjoy a whole year of outdoor fun on Washington’s beautiful state-managed recreation lands. For more information, visit www.discoverpass.wa.gov.
Media contacts:
Cherie’ Gwinn, (509) 465-5064
Toni Droscher, (360) 902-8604
Wash. Telecommunications Relay Service: (800) 833-6388
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