The Duwamish Tribe has recently purchased a large portion of undeveloped forested
land in Renton, Wash., located in the Fairwood Neighborhood. Less than 200 years ago
this region was once solely inhabited by coastal Salish communities who had settled
the land roughly 12,000 years ago. The Duwamish Tribe could be divided into groups
depending on the area they lived in. Duwamish members who identified as “people of
the inside” lived along the Duwamish, Black, Cedar, and Green Rivers. During the winter
seasons they would move back into their longhouse located along the rivers, and during
the warmer months, they’d use the rivers to navigate across the greater Puget Sound
to gather resources and trade.
Today, Renton sits at the confluence of two rivers, the Black River (which has since
dried up due to human modification), Cedar River, and Lake Washington. Our project
site is located within the Cedar River watershed and is 1.13 miles south of the Cedar
River. The property has been classified as a wetland and a freshwater forest. The
property is also .63 miles north of the Soos Creek Trail, which has a history of uncovering
Coast Salish lithic flakes and tools.
Since the early 1850s, American settlers have moved into the area and began changing
the landscape. In the 1870’s coal was first encountered and then later mined in the
1890’s. The first schools opened during the mining and logging period. Then during
the 1960’s the Fairwood Neighborhood moved towards developing the community. Via Aerial
Photos from King County iMaps, the residential neighborhoods surrounding the property
were built either in the 1980s or 1990s. So far, there are no records of stormwater
or wastewater utility projects within the property, but on several visits, we’ve observed
utility markers. Unfortunately, not much more is known about the property. There is
one historical archaeological site within a mile of the project location, and there
are also 9 placenames within a 3-mile radius of the project location.
