Monumental questions: Washington historical society assesses monuments, starting with Vancouver’s ‘Firsts’Subscriber ExclusiveUpdated 1 day ago

‘Our children are not seeing their stories in the history of this state’

By Scott Hewitt, Columbian staff writer

Published: November 30, 2024, 6:14am

Updated: December 3, 2024, 6:57am

13 Photos

Vancouver’s “Firsts” monument focuses on white settlers and ignores the long history of tribal peoples who lived in this area for thousands of years, Washington State Historical Society tribal liaison Pam James said. At left, claiming that “civilization” only began when white people arrived here is deeply insulting to Native people, some have said. The state historical society is reassessing dozens of historical monuments it placed across the state early in the 20th century. Photo Gallery

Whose “civilization” is it, anyway?

That profound question has launched the Washington State Historical Society on an extended road trip around the state to visit local communities and solicit opinions regarding at least 42 of its historical monuments.

The state historical society installed the monuments between 1900 and 1950, sometimes with partners like local missions or the Daughters of the American Revolution.

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