fishingrights

Long before the more widely known Native American “fish-ins,” member of the Nisqually Tribes were defiantly engaged in fishing activities that had been decreed illegal by Washington State. The Department of Game made numerous arrests and confiscated gear throughout the 1960s. Here, in a 1962 Daily Olympian photograph, Game Department enforcers arrest Nisqually tribal members as they return with their catch. Native American treaty fishing rights were finally upheld in the US Supreme Court’s 1974 Boldt decision.  Photograph selected and captioned by Deborah Ross on behalf of the Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum. More information is available at olympiahistory.org. John Bailey photograph, January 1962, Daily Olympian collection, Washington State Historical Society