Henry A. Smith
Encyclopedia
Dr. Henry A. Smith was a physician, poet, legislator and early settler of Seattle, best known today for his flowery translation of a speech by Chief Seattle
(or Sealth) that is still in print.
In 1852, Dr. Smith traveled from Wooster, Ohio to Portland
, Oregon Territory
in a wagon train with his mother (Abigail Teaff Smith, b. 1792) and sister. In 1853, he settled at the north end of Elliot Bay, at what came to be known as "Smith's Cove" (later Smith Cove
), deciding that it was a likely spot for docks and that the flat area was a terminus for the perennially rumored transcontinental railroad. His mother staked the next claim north. Smith built a cabin and, the next year, an infirmary at what is today Grand Boulevard (Dravus Street) and 15th Avenue W.
Seattle was at the time hilly and heavily forested; the only route to the main settlement was by small boat or canoe until Smith cut a trail through the woods. He is said to have known the local Indians well and had some command of local language. At the time of the Battle of Seattle (1856)
, the Smith Cove settlers fled for the safety of Seattle's block house. Their homes was burned and stock taken, except, according to some accounts, for Dr. Smith's cabin, apparently a result of his friendship with the locals.
Smith joined the Territorial Legislature as a Republican, and lobbied for a railroad. He farmed, invested in a general store, logging camps, and fruit orchards, and developed in land as far north as Smith Island, at the mouth of the Snohomish River
. He made house calls throughout most of the Puget Sound area, often by canoe, and was appointed official physician for the Tulalip Indian Reservation
.
In 1862, Smith married Mary Phelan; they had seven children. She died in 1880.
In 1887, with the arrival of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway
Company, Smith sold most of his land, including about 1000 acres (4 km²) near Queen Anne Hill, and invested in buildings such as the London Hotel at the foot of Pike Street, and the Smith block (the 1900 block of 1st Avenue; not to be confused with Seattle's Smith Tower
). He also served as the first superintendent of King County public schools.
In the 1890s, Smith's railroad dreams bore fruit when the Great Northern Railway built a depot at Smith's Cove. Seattle's Pier 91 and related facilities now cover Smith's Cove. Wealth from this and other ventures made Smith at one time King County's largest taxpayer.
He died in 1915, in the company of his five surviving daughters.
The date and location of the speech has been disputed, but the most common version is that on March 11, 1854, Sealth gave a speech at a large outdoor gathering in Seattle. The meeting had been called by Governor Isaac Ingalls Stevens to discuss the surrender or sale of native land to white settlers. No-one alive today knows what Sealth said; he spoke in the Lushootseed language, someone translated his words into Chinook Indian trade language, and a third person translated that into English.
About thirty years later, the Seattle Sunday Star published Smith's rendition of the speech, based on notes he took at the time. In flowery language, Sealth purportedly thanked the white people for their generosity, demanded that any treaty guarantee access to Native burial grounds, and made a contrast between the God of the white people and that of his own. Smith noted that he had recorded "...but a fragment of his Chief Sealth's speech".
In 1891, Frederick James Grant's History of Seattle, Washington reprinted Smith's version. In 1929, Clarence B. Bagley's History of King County, Washington reprinted Grant's version with some additions. In 1931, John M. Rich reprinted the Bagley version in "Chief Seattle's Unanswered Challenge". The speech forms the basis of a popular children's book, "Brother Eagle, Sister Sky: A Message from Chief Seattle".
Chief Seattle
Chief Seattle , was a Dkhw’Duw’Absh chief, also known as Sealth, Seathle, Seathl, or See-ahth. A prominent figure among his people, he pursued a path of accommodation to white settlers, forming a personal relationship with David Swinson "Doc" Maynard. Seattle, Washington was named after him...
(or Sealth) that is still in print.
In 1852, Dr. Smith traveled from Wooster, Ohio to Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
in a wagon train with his mother (Abigail Teaff Smith, b. 1792) and sister. In 1853, he settled at the north end of Elliot Bay, at what came to be known as "Smith's Cove" (later Smith Cove
Smith Cove (Washington)
Smith Cove is a body of water, the northern part of Seattle, Washington's Elliott Bay, immediately south of the area that has been known since 1894 as Interbay...
), deciding that it was a likely spot for docks and that the flat area was a terminus for the perennially rumored transcontinental railroad. His mother staked the next claim north. Smith built a cabin and, the next year, an infirmary at what is today Grand Boulevard (Dravus Street) and 15th Avenue W.
Seattle was at the time hilly and heavily forested; the only route to the main settlement was by small boat or canoe until Smith cut a trail through the woods. He is said to have known the local Indians well and had some command of local language. At the time of the Battle of Seattle (1856)
Battle of Seattle (1856)
The Battle of Seattle was a January 26, 1856 attack by native Americans upon Seattle, Washington. At the time, Seattle was a settlement in the Washington Territory that had recently named itself after Chief Seattle , a leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish peoples of central Puget Sound.Backed by...
, the Smith Cove settlers fled for the safety of Seattle's block house. Their homes was burned and stock taken, except, according to some accounts, for Dr. Smith's cabin, apparently a result of his friendship with the locals.
Smith joined the Territorial Legislature as a Republican, and lobbied for a railroad. He farmed, invested in a general store, logging camps, and fruit orchards, and developed in land as far north as Smith Island, at the mouth of the Snohomish River
Snohomish River
The Snohomish River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington, formed by the confluence of the Skykomish and Snoqualmie rivers near Monroe. It flows northwest entering Port Gardner Bay, part of Puget Sound, between Everett and Marysville. The Pilchuck River is its main tributary and joins the...
. He made house calls throughout most of the Puget Sound area, often by canoe, and was appointed official physician for the Tulalip Indian Reservation
Tulalip
Tulalip is a group of Native American peoples from western Washington state in the United States. Today they are federally recognized as the Tulalip Tribes of the Tulalip Reservation.- History :...
.
In 1862, Smith married Mary Phelan; they had seven children. She died in 1880.
In 1887, with the arrival of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway
Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway
The Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway was a railroad founded in Seattle, Washington, on April 28, 1885, with three tiers of purposes: Build and run the initial line to the town of Ballard, bring immediate results and returns to investors; exploit resources east in the valleys, foothills,...
Company, Smith sold most of his land, including about 1000 acres (4 km²) near Queen Anne Hill, and invested in buildings such as the London Hotel at the foot of Pike Street, and the Smith block (the 1900 block of 1st Avenue; not to be confused with Seattle's Smith Tower
Smith Tower
Smith Tower is a skyscraper in Pioneer Square in Seattle, Washington. Completed in 1914, the 38 storey, tower is the oldest skyscraper in the city and was the tallest office building west of the Mississippi River until the Kansas City Power & Light Building was built in 1931...
). He also served as the first superintendent of King County public schools.
In the 1890s, Smith's railroad dreams bore fruit when the Great Northern Railway built a depot at Smith's Cove. Seattle's Pier 91 and related facilities now cover Smith's Cove. Wealth from this and other ventures made Smith at one time King County's largest taxpayer.
He died in 1915, in the company of his five surviving daughters.
The Speech Controversy
There is a controversy about a speech whose purported text Smith printed.The date and location of the speech has been disputed, but the most common version is that on March 11, 1854, Sealth gave a speech at a large outdoor gathering in Seattle. The meeting had been called by Governor Isaac Ingalls Stevens to discuss the surrender or sale of native land to white settlers. No-one alive today knows what Sealth said; he spoke in the Lushootseed language, someone translated his words into Chinook Indian trade language, and a third person translated that into English.
About thirty years later, the Seattle Sunday Star published Smith's rendition of the speech, based on notes he took at the time. In flowery language, Sealth purportedly thanked the white people for their generosity, demanded that any treaty guarantee access to Native burial grounds, and made a contrast between the God of the white people and that of his own. Smith noted that he had recorded "...but a fragment of his Chief Sealth's speech".
In 1891, Frederick James Grant's History of Seattle, Washington reprinted Smith's version. In 1929, Clarence B. Bagley's History of King County, Washington reprinted Grant's version with some additions. In 1931, John M. Rich reprinted the Bagley version in "Chief Seattle's Unanswered Challenge". The speech forms the basis of a popular children's book, "Brother Eagle, Sister Sky: A Message from Chief Seattle".