Vancouver Vista
On January 23, 1857, the Washington Territorial Legislature incorporated the city of Vancouver in what is now Clark County. The city traces its roots to the establishment of Hudson's Bay Company's Fort Vancouver (shown above) in 1825, as well as to the U.S. Army's establishment of Columbia (later Vancouver) Barracks in 1849.
Fort Vancouver plays a part in another anniversary this week. On January 23, 1851, Bishop Augustin Blanchet dedicated St. James Cathedral on land adjacent to the fort's headquarters. In 1885 a new St. James Cathedral was completed in the city of Vancouver, and it served as headquarters for the Catholic Church in Western Washington until 1907, when Bishop Edward J. O'Dea formally moved the diocese to Seattle.
Vancouver was named in honor of Captain George Vancouver, who explored the Pacific Northwest in the 1790s. His name was also used by our neighbor to the north, when Vancouver, British Columbia was incorporated in 1886. Yet another Canadian eponym is Vancouver Island, the site of one more anniversary this week, albeit an unpleasant one. The SS Valencia ran aground there on January 22, 1906, and 136 persons lost their lives.
Seattle Siege
On the morning of January 26, 1856, an estimated 1,000 Salish warriors came over the ridge of First Hill and attacked the tiny village of Seattle that was just forming in present-day Pioneer Square. The settlers returned the Indian fire during the skirmish, reinforced by marines and a howitzer from the U.S.S. Decatur, anchored in Elliott Bay. Sporadic gun volleys continued until 10 o'clock that night, when the attackers retreated, leaving behind two dead settlers but none of their own, nor even a trace of blood.
Rising tensions had led to bloody acts by both newcomers and Indians before the "Battle of Seattle," but the attack marked the climax of active resistance west of the Cascades that was led by Chief Leschi and other tribal leaders against the Indian treaties dictated by Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens over the previous two years.
Chief Leschi was eventually captured, and his half-brother Quiemuth surrendered soon after. Quiemuth was murdered by persons unknown, and Leschi was hanged in 1858 over the protests of many pioneers. It wasn't until 2004 that Leschi was finally exonerated by a special state historical court.
