In 1941, Swinomish leader Tandy Wilbur arranged a competition between two Indigenous racing canoes and two shells crewed by the University of Washington Huskies. Wilbur had recently become chairman of the Swinomish Tribal Community, and he intended the race to help form bonds among the several different tribal groups living together on the Swinomish reservation. He also wanted to use publicity from the race to build economic ties to the settler communities around the reservation. The two canoes participating in the race were named "Lone Eagle" and "Susie Q." The four crews made a series of 100-yard sprints down Swinomish Slough, from the Swinomish Reservation to the town of La Conner. When interviewed in the 1990s, members from both sides remembered winning the race.

Here, Swinomish leader Charlie Edwards (right) is speaking with UW crew coach Al Ulbrickson, with “Susie Q” between them and some of the Indigenous rowers in the background. The canoe’s prow can be seen with its traditional “wolf’s head” shape.

Caption information source: "The Great Race of 1941: A Coast Salish Public Relations Coup,” by Bruce G. Miller, Pacific Northwest Quarterly 89, No. 3 (Summer 1998): 127-135.