Golden Potlatch

Golden Potlatch card showing images of Chief Seattle and his daughter Princess Angeline.

The Golden Potlatch (or Potlatch Days) was a festival in Seattle, Washington, USA in 1911–1914 and 1935–1941. The name derived from the potlatch, the Chinook Jargon name of a festival ceremony that had been practiced by indigenous peoples of the region; "golden" reflected Seattle's role in the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1890s.

First Golden Potlatch, July 17-21, 1911

Golden Potlatch logo, Kopf Bros. Pub. 1911

The first Golden Potlatch took place July 17–21, 1911. Roughly 300,000 people attended parades, concerts, automobile races up Queen Anne Hill, and a flight by an airplane piloted by Navy pilot by Lt. Eugene Ely. There was also a reenactment of the 1897 arrival of the Portland with its legendary "ton of gold". The event was conceived to keep Seattle in the public eye in the wake of the successful and prominent Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909.

In 1911, Robert A. Reid, Seattle, published a number of Postcards as part of his Pacific Northwest Photographic Series to publicize the Golden Potlatch. These postcards identified Seattle as a destination available by 'sea, land and rail'.

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The Hopf Bros Co. of Seattle published another series of postcards by Edward H Mitchell. These postcards focused on scenic views such as Mt Rainier from the West Short of Lake Washington; historic views such as Totem Pole, Pioneer Square; commercial aspects of Seattle including Colman Dock and Grand Trunk Pacific Dock; and downtown street views such as First Avenue looking north, Second Avenue looking south from Spring Street, Second Avenue Looking North, Third Avenue looking north, Fourth Avenue looking south and Pike Street looking East. All of these commercial photo's

Golden Potlatch 1913

The 1913 Potlatch was marred by the "Potlatch Riots": soldiers and sailors looted and burned the offices of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and the Socialist Party.

Golden Potlatch 1914

The coming of World War I in 1914 marked the end of the Potlatch.

Potlatch 1935 - 1941

The festival was revived in 1935, but was again terminated by war, this time by the U.S. entry into World War II in 1941.