History of Bear Creek
By Gary Smith
Thousands of years ago, the first native people were drawn by salmon runs to the confluence of Bear Creek and the Sammamish Slough, where they established fishing sites. When white settlers arrived in the valley in the 1860s and encountered only seasonal camps of Indians, the newcomers soon took over the land and water, greatly changing the natural habitat. Salmon in particular were impacted as the Sammamish River and Bear Creek were channelized and as communities grew to cover large tracts of impermeable surface nearby, leaving only a small green space around the confluence.
Geography of lower Bear Creek
As this 1897 map shows, Bear Creek flowed into the Sammamish south of the current confluence, which is shown by the light-blue line (visibility?) in this historical map of the downtown Redmond area:
Native American culture: The first inhabitants of this area were probably Snoqualmie Indians (some claim that a band of the Duwamish tribe was here first). Undoubtedly, many Indians followed the salmon from Puget Sound toward the Cascades, establishing summertime fishing camps along the waterways. Despite arrowheads, mussel shell middens, and other evidence of seasonal food gathering in the Redmond area, however, there is no clear indication of any permanent Indian village near the confluence. According to one local historian who did research at the Northwest Indian College in Bellingham, “Snoqualmie tribal elders tell me that a small plankhouse stood at that site (Slough House Park) for many years, making it a possible tollway for the use of the portage crossing.” This Snoqualmie story, while unconfirmed, suggests that Indian activity was concentrated near the confluence.
White settlers’ culture: Read More>>