Indian Marker Trees on the Olympic Peninsula

In a recent post, I mentioned 'Indian Marker Trees' which were used by natives to show territory boundaries or point to specific things, like a good fishing spot.

Karl Kruger turned me on to looking for these. Karl completed the Race to Alaska in 2017 on a paddle board and runs sailing charters up the Inside Passage in the summer. He learned about these and 'fire trees' during these trips.

Fire trees were hollowed out at the base to create a wind protected place for cooking clams and creating charcoal. 'The Mystery of Fire Trees in SE Alaska' is a great guide on these trees.

My fascination about marker and fire trees is finding evidence of ancient cultures in plain sight, even after years of logging and development.

Here's two possible marker trees on the Olympic Peninsula.  I've sent a photo of the Elwha tree to the Burke Museum to get some sort clarification whether it's a marker tree or a just a funky tree.

This tree is near the Elwha River west of Port Angeles

This one is above the trail leading down the steep hill to
Shi Shi Beach in Olympic National Park. (Not sure if this one is Makah or ONP).

Rob Casey is author of Kayaking Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands, 60 Trips and Stand Up Paddling Flat Water to Surf and Rivers, both by Mountaineers Books.  He owns Salmon Bay Paddle a SUP school in Seattle.