In 1933, Juanita Bay was the setting for one of the largest Indian celebrations ever held at that time on the East Side, if not the state. On a sunny weekend in May, members of the Lummi, Skykomish, Muckleshoot, Yakima, upper and lower Snoqualmie, and many other tribes gathered for a re-enactment of the signing of the 1853 peace treaty between the Indians and the territory of Washington. Thousands more gathered to witness the event and to experience Native American culture up close.

The Warren O. Grimm post of the American Legion in Kirkland sponsored the gathering. A committee worked for months, contacting many tribes and inviting them to participate. The tribes would be in charge of almost all of the presentations and the Legionnaires would handle the logistics, such as scheduling, ticket sales and parking for visitors.

Chief Jerry Keenum of the Snoqualmie tribe gathered many local tribes near Lake Sammamish in March to introduce the other tribal chiefs to the Legionnaires. Members of each tribe performed special dances for the benefit of Legion members, such as the dance of the magic sticks and the dance of the magic boards. It was agreed that the upcoming event would be profitable and of great benefit to the Indians and the Kirkland community, and would provide Puget Sound residents with an insight into Indian culture.

Chief Jerry Keenum, along with Chief Black Thunder of the Skykomish tribe and a delegation of women from the Muckleshoot tribe came to Kirkland to make arrangements. The event would be held on May 26 and 27, and Juanita Bay was chosen for the site. The Juanita beaches were ideal surroundings for the event, since Juanita Bay had long been a prime wapato (a type of potato) harvesting site for generations of Native Americans. By now, the beach had been developed as a picnic and camping area and would provide room for the thousands expected to attend.

The re-enactment of the signing would be the big event of the weekend. Joseph Hillaire, son of the Lummi chief who signed the treaty in 1853, gathered data on what happened prior to and at the signing. Governor Clarence Martin was invited, and accepted the offer to play the role of Governor Isaac Stevens who signed the treaty for the territory of Washington. Chief Jerry Keenum would assume the role of his father, Chief Pat Keenum, another signer. Direct descendants of other co-signers also assumed the role of chief.

The weekend pow-wow received a wealth of publicity, The LaConner tribe loaned two big racing canoes for display in Seattle stores. Jospeh Hillaire went on a speaking tour, appearing in authentic costume before civic organizations and schools, and told the history of the treaty and of Indian culture. Martin Samson, president of the Northwest Federation of Indians made a number of radio appearances.

Kirkland girded for the coming influx of people. For any small town during the depression, throngs of visitors were a welcome sight. Even though Juanita was still considered a distant community in the eyes of most Kirkland businessmen, most visitors from Seattle that weekend would be taking the Lake Washington ferry, which dropped them off in downtown Kirkland. Storefronts were gussied up, parking zones were repainted and editorials were printed in the local paper, telling citizens to make their town more like 'Glossyville', instead of 'Shabbytown'. Even the brackish stream running through downtown Kirkland (an eyesore for many years) was cleaned up. As the local paper described it, "The things they found in that stream! Everything from soup to nuts and lots of it!".

The last weekend in May finally arrived under a canopy of clear blue skies. The warm, sunny weather brought in the expected crowds and more. Over 400 Indians encamped on the beaches of Juanita Bay in tepees and tents. Wearing colorful tribal dress, they mingled amongst and conversed with the thousands of visitors. A variety of Indian relics were on display throughout the grounds for all to see.

The big excitement during the day were the canoe races held each afternoon by members from the Swininish, LaConner, Skagit and other tribes. The first canoe race was followed by a hurdle race and then by single paddle races. The races which followed, and which captivated the most spectators, were the fifty-foot, eleven paddle war canoe races. Most people had not seen huge boats of this size and nature on Lake Washington at the time, and they have been rarely seen since.

Back on shore, over a thousand pounds of salmon was prepared and feasted upon. Demonstrations of Indian games were shown, and as evening wore on, tribal dances were performed. "Most of which", described the local paper, "have never been seen by any large group of white people before.". On Saturday night in an arena built by the Legion to hold 2500 people, historical presentations were given about the events leading up to the signing of the treaty.

On Sunday, following that afternoon's boat races, Governor Martin received a special honor when he was inducted into the Lummi tribe. Following an impressive ceremony of drumbeats and chants, tribal leader Joseph Hillaire accepted him into the fold. Hillaire delivered a stirring speech, calling Martin a protector "...like the tall cedars that used to guard our tepees in the woods.". Martin thanked them deeply for the honor, and promised to do all in his power to preserve their rights under the now 80-year-old treaty.

The sun started to set in the west, and as the skies changed color, a reddish tint covered the entire crowd as the re-enactment pageant began. Chief Jerry Keenum and members of the Snoqualmie tribe staged a presentation depicting the medicine men crossing over into the spirit country. Chief Shelton of the Snohomish tribe gave a welcome speech, after which he and his daughter introduced dancers from their tribe. Chief Tannishua of the Yakimas did the same. Other tribal leaders following suit included Black Thunder of the Skykomish, Mary Starr of the Lost Rainier and Ennick of the Darrington.

The re-enactment ceremony, written by Joseph Hillaire, was very well received. Many of the prominent Indians present portrayed their ancestors, while members of the American Legion filled in as Governor Stevens' entourage. To accommodate the thousands of attendees, the Legion had installed lighting effects and a loudspeaker system so that all present could see and hear clearly.

After the re-enactment, tribal dances continued on into the night. The combination of firelight and artificial light danced across the trees and tepees, and the echo of tribal drums and singing voices rang louder along the hillsides of Juanita than ever they had before or have since.

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