A monument to Chief Leschi has been knocked over. Who should fix it?
A monument commemorating the execution of Nisqually Chief Leschi was knocked over last weekend and his tribe wants the damage fixed.
On Tuesday, the approximately 4-ton granite boulder was lying on its side, its inscription still readable.
For decades, the monument has sat in front of an oak tree at a Lakewood strip mall at Briggs Lane SW and Steilacoom Boulevard SW. A fitness center and nail salon are its closest neighbors.
“Leschi,” the inscription reads. “Chief of the Nisquallies, martyr to the vengeance of the unforgiving white man, was hanged 300 yards S.E. from here, February 19, 1858.”
According to another inscription, the monument was erected in 1963 by the Pierce County Pioneer and Historical Association. The group appears to no longer exist.
It’s unknown if the boulder was knocked over on purpose or by accident, but circumstantial evidence points to the latter. Scattered around the boulder on Tuesday were various plastic automotive grill parts.
George, the owner of a nearby G’s Antiques and Collectibles, wasn’t aware of the damage until alerted by a reporter. He declined to provide his last name.
He came outside to inspect the damage Tuesday.
“In 11 years (here) I’ve never seen anything come close to that,” he said.
Chief Leschi
Nisqually Indian Tribe government liaison Hanford McCloud said the tribe was aware of the monument.
Leschi, McCloud said, needs to be remembered beyond his roles in the disputed Medicine Creek Treaty of 1854, his role in the 1855-1856 war and his subsequent execution for the alleged killing of two militiamen.
“We have such a rich, beautiful history … especially with the salmon in the water and the orcas,” McCloud said. “That all ties back to Leschi standing up and giving his life for this.”
The government officials who hanged Leschi didn’t want it to occur on the fort so he was taken to an oak tree just outside the fort, McCloud said. Today, that general area is a row of homes on Leschi Road SW.
“And when he was on the gallows, he made this statement: ‘Do not forget who you are. Teach your children, teach your children’s children and teach their children also of a great people. Because one day my spirit will be with you and we will celebrate,” McCloud said.
Leschi was acquitted of the murders in 2004 by a historical court following a years-long effort to right his name by the Nisqually tribe.
Who should fix it?
The monument doesn’t belong to the city, said spokesperson Brynn Grimley, and isn’t Lakewood’s responsibility. She also said there’s no record of any police reports concerning the boulder’s upending.
If it’s to be fixed, it appears that will fall on the shoulders of Oakbrook Plaza’s owner, First Western Properties.
“It was placed there for a purpose,” McCloud said. “Now it’s your duty as that caretaker of that complex to take care of that marker.”
First Western Properties could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
McCloud said this is a moment to reinvigorate the memory of Leschi and what he represented.
“I’d like to see it upgraded, enhanced, more family appropriate,” McCloud said. “Where you could go in and teach your children about the area.”
This story was originally published December 28, 2022 at 6:23 PM.
