SULTAN — The city is set to celebrate the return of the salmon to the Sultan River on Saturday.
Several species, including sockeye, chinook, coho and steelhead, leave their birth place in the river as fingerlings. They return to spawn, continuing the life cycle.
Saturday also marks a time of remembrance for Chief T’seul-Ted, the city’s namesake.
“Chief T’seul-Ted was so respected by the European settlers, they named the town after him,” said Craig Young, who is helping organize the event. But, Young said, the city changed its name to Sultan because people had trouble pronouncing T’seul-Ted.
The Skykomish chief was a healer and a guide to settlers, Young said. His family included the people of many tribes, including the Skykomish, Snohomish and Snoqualmie. Today, these are part of the Tulalip Tribes. Patricia Linn, of Tulalip, is a great-great granddaughter of T’seul-Ted. Linn is expected to take part in the celebration Saturday.
The event is set to take place at Osprey Park at 801 First St. from noon to 4 p.m. There is a covered space, so people can celebrate rain or shine. Planned entertainment includes Native American storytelling, music, drumming, dancing, riverside tours and other activities.
A horse-drawn covered wagon will be used for tours of the salmon hatchery at Sultan High School. People can take a bag of fish from the hatchery and release them into the river.
Young said fewer salmon are returning, so people might not be able to spot them in the river this year. That’s why organizers decided to let people release fish from the hatchery into off-channel habitat in the river.
“The humans will be part of that eternal process that used to happen on its own but now needs a little help,” Young said.
Organizers have arranged for a variety of food, such as frybread tacos and huckleberry shortcake, to be served at the event.
New to the event this year is the Salmon Run. It is a three-mile race through Osprey Park. A one-mile fast walk also is planned. The races are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Registration costs $10 and begins at 9:15 a.m. in the park. All racers get a Salmon Run t-shirt.
“It’s a play on words,” Young said. “People have, for 25 years, wanted a run in Sultan. Now we have one, and surprisingly that name wasn’t taken.”
Young said he is expecting Saturday’s celebration to be better than last year’s event, which he counts as a success.
“People said they felt like Sultan had a new heart,” Young said of the 2013 celebration. “It really brought forth the honoring of our past and the protecting of our future.”
Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports.
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