In 1865 the Board of Trustees of Seattle passed Ordinance No. 5 banning Indigenous people from living in the city unless they worked for a non-Indigenous resident and lived on their employer’s property. Despite this attempt to enforce separation between Indigenous people and the settlers, Seattle depended on Indigenous people. Settlers relied on Native people for domestic work and for trade of fish, shellfish, and baskets. Indigenous people from across the Pacific Northwest also harvested hops in agricultural areas to the south and east of Seattle.

This 1880s photo shows a Native encampment in Seattle, probably located near the western end of Bell Street. Because they were excluded from the rest of the city, many Indigenous people camped on the waterfront when visiting or passing through Seattle.

SHS category: Indians - Camps