Archaeology buffs will get a kick out of all the designated prehistoric sites along the Chinook Scenic Byway. There are 79 known sites in the park, of which only 62 have been fully documented and recorded. Find your own adventures on the Byway by taking your own photos and notes and learning about the history of fascinating sites that mark Native American ceremonial, hunting and gathering, and spiritual locations. Later historical sites include remains of 19th Century mining camps and sites.
A glimpse into the area's rich Native American history can be found on the Byway. Some of the oldest sites date back at least 1,000 years. The area was used by lowland tribes for hunting and gathering and for spiritual and ceremonial events. A few sites are known hunting camps (kill and butcher sites) where cedar bark was stripped from trees, rock shelters created, and stone for tools procured.
In more modern centuries, five principal Native American tribes (specifically, the Nisqually, the Puyallup, the Muckleshoot, the Yakama, and the Taidnapam) came to the park in the summer and early fall to hunt and to collect resources. These tribes continued to come even after the park was officially designated in 1899. Sites that were used are littered with broken weapon points. Real links to the past still exist, which archaeologists - by trade and hobby - find intriguing. For example, a plant called wapato that is known to have been crucial to Native American�s survival is still thriving in the area.
Sites from European settlement in the late 19th and early 20th Century confirm mining, recreation, and early park development. Specifically, there are old campsites, trash dumps, collapsed structures, mine shafts, and other debris.
Exploring the culture and history that made up the Chinook area is like putting together pieces of the past. Do a little detective work yourself and discover why so many archaeologists find this area to be such a hotspot for history.
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