The Suquamish Welcome Pole is a new cultural landmark on the Sound to Olympics Trail, acknowledging Bainbridge Island as the ancestral home of the Suquamish people. The Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation commissioned the pole, supported by and in celebration with the Suquamish Tribe.

Created by Suquamish elder and master carver Randi Purser, the 14-foot cedar pole represents Chief Seattle’s father, Schweabe, and is crowned by a Thunderbird symbolizing family strength. A frog at the base marks the new year and a time of transformation, reflecting the moment of first European contact and the enduring resilience of the Suquamish people.

Funded by community donations and a grant from the Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island, the pole was gifted by the Parks & Trails Foundation to the City of Bainbridge Island, which partnered to install it through the Public Art Fund. The pole stands on the Winslow Connector section of the STO Trail, just above Winslow Way and SR 305 — a gateway to the island and the Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas beyond.

The Welcome Pole complements a companion carving across Puget Sound on the Seattle waterfront, depicting Chief Seattle’s mother, Scholitza, holding him as a baby — together forming a symbolic bridge between past and present, land and water, heritage and community.

Suquamish Welcome Pole
Sound to Olympics Trail, Winslow Connector
Completed with support and in celebration with the Suquamish Tribe
Project Partner: City of Bainbridge Island
Completed: August 2024