Reaching into the past at Sacajawea Heritage Days [PHOTOS]

This past weekend, people of the Pacific Northwest gathered at Sacajawea State Park in Pasco to celebrate Heritage Days - an annual festival honoring the Lewis and Clark Expedition's arrival in the area and the way it changed the Pacific Northwest forever.

Memories of last year's Tri-Cities RiverFest and the public pow wows I'd gone to as a kid in California were re-awakened as I looked forward to the weekend's event. Unfortunately, the Heritage Days did not match my expectations; while the event was educational, it felt like something was missing. We'll get to that later.

Understanding the history behind Sacajawea State Park

Sacajawea State Park sits at the meeting point of the Snake and Columbia Rivers, with Burbank across the waters to the east and Finley across the waters to the south. It's a small state park, about 267 acres large, that was founded in 1931.

The land sits on the place where the Lewis and Clark Expedition camped in October of 1805, accompanied by Sacagawea, an Agaiduka Shoshone and young mother, who helped serve as interpreter. Sacajawea's story is not as sweet as stories have often made it out to be, as she was sold to a French-Canadian trapper as a wife. Because her name has been given to the park, her part in the history of this place is elevated and in focus within the Interpretative Center on site.

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The state park was later the site of Ainsworth, a small town that housed sawmills to support the building of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The town was founded in 1879, and lasted until about 1885, when its residents abandoned it for Pasco or other lands. Standing in Sacajawea State Park, you are likely also standing right where Ainsworth once stood - a ghost town completely obliterated by time.

2024's Heritage Days: A 20 Year Celebration

This year's Heritage Days event at Sacajawea State Park marked its 20th anniversary. The event used to be managed in part by Friends of Sacajawea State Park, but is now handled by Washington State Parks. Many of the same organizations come and participate in the event, including the Pacific Northwest Living Historians.

The event this year coincided with a free Discover Pass day, which meant that parking was free at Sacajawea State Park. I expected the park would be rather busy as a result; however, by my count between 11am and 1pm, I saw three families, four couples, and three individuals (including myself) roaming the entire event grounds. It was no more than I'd expect any Saturday at the park.

Along the main sidewalk were a couple of tents/tables set up, and included the Reach Museum, the Manhattan Project, a native person (I failed to ask which tribe), and working steam engine demonstrations. Further back were two re-enactor encampments, which included some live demonstrations like a working forge and paddle carving/whittling. Although mentioned on the event page, I did not see any demonstrations for soap making, flintknapping, or weaving. The Sacajawea Interpretative Center was also open, and off in a back corner, an ambulance was set up for interactive exploration for kids.

Something missing from the picture?

I loved going around and seeing everyone's exhibits, talking with historians about the history of the place and people that had been once in the very place I had walked. There's dozens of pictures below if you missed it. But as I took a break sitting in the shade overlooking the confluence, I realized I felt very underwhelmed. I had expected the park to be crowded, the place to have felt alive if not anachronistic. Something more akin to the video below.

It wasn't just the lack of people, though. For a place that served as the meeting place of tribes, the entire event felt heavily imbalanced toward the representation of the explorers (colonizers). I encountered only one native presentation area, far removed from the re-enactors' "settlement camps". I might have missed more native presence - the event was chaotically spread thin across the park - but whatever I might have missed had also been separated far from the non-native settlers. The overarching theme of cooperation between white people and natives was absent in practice.

Perhaps that should come as no surprise from a state park that has been sculpted to look like any average American park, rather than restored to its native shrubsteppe ecosystem.

A glimpse into Tri-Cities' past

These are complex issues that I can't claim to fully understand, and they shouldn't reflect on the wonderful people and historians who worked hard to present this year's Sacajawea Heritage Days. There was still much to learn, see, and experience, and if you or your family have never been, I highly recommend you plan in advance to go next year.

Until then, take a browse through the gallery below to glimpse into the past like I did.