Local Color

Bellingham is rich in public art, and this mural is one of my favorites. It's steps away from Whatcom Museum's Old City Hall building and is one of the community artworks along the Whatcom Creek Salmon Art Trail downtown.

Named the Bellingham Centennial Mural, it was created by California artists East Los Streetscapers in 1990 and measures 33 ft (10.06 m) x 31 ft (9.45 m). The extra photo brings you right up to it.

I've spent more time than I should today trying to find information on the design elements, with little luck. What I'm especially puzzled by is the mural's title, as "centennial" juxtaposed with "1990" implies that something significant happened here in 1890, although so far I haven't been able to find out what that was. 

The mural features Coast Salish people, who were here 8,000 years before the first non-native person set foot in this area. The sea was their larder, and salmon an important part of their lives, as is made clear in the mural. Shellfish were also abundant, along with deer, berries, and edible plants.

I think the woman depicted inside the giant salmon might be Elizabeth Roeder, the wife of Henry Roeder; they were among the first permanent white settlers here, arriving in 1852, and became prominent citizens.

The white settlers began cutting down the massive trees that surrounded Bellingham Bay and beyond, as shown on the left side of the mural, and building lumber mills. Canneries were built to process the abundant fish, and a few years later, coal mining began.

I recommend reading Annie Dillard's first novel, The Living (1992), a fascinating look at life in early Bellingham. I loved it, and will relish reading again. This review will give you a taste of its richness.

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