Tamanowas Rock (Klallam: t̕əménəwəs) (also spelled Tamanous[5]), also called Chimacum Rock, is a 150-foot (46 m) high rock with caves and crevices that lies in a forest adjacent to Anderson Lake State Park, near Port Townsend, Washington.[1][6]: 169  It is a sacred site to the Coast Salish peoples of the Pacific Northwest and a pilgrimage site.[7] The rock was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.[8]

Tamanowas Rock
Chimacum Rock, Tamanous Rock
Highest point
Elevation440 ft (130 m)
Prominence150 ft (46 m)[1]
Coordinates48°01′19″N 122°47′36″W / 48.02208°N 122.79339°W / 48.02208; -122.79339
Geography
Map
LocationJefferson County, Washington, US
Parent rangeNear Olympic Mountains
Topo map(s)USGS Port Townsend South, WA
Geology
Mountain typeBatholith
Tamanowas Rock Sanctuary
Map showing the location of Tamanowas Rock Sanctuary
Map showing the location of Tamanowas Rock Sanctuary
Location in the United States
Nearest cityChimacum, Washington
Coordinates48°01′19″N 122°47′36″W / 48.02208°N 122.79339°W / 48.02208; -122.79339
Area84.4 acres (34.2 ha)[2][3]
Established1990s–December 21, 2012 (2012-December-21)[4]
Governing bodyJamestown S'Klallam Tribe

History

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Tamanowas Rock is said to have first been used 10,000 years ago by the Chimakum (or Chemacum) people, leading to its alternate name "Chimacum Rock", whose name is also found in other local geographic features.[3] In accordance with legend, it may have been used as a refuge from the tsunami caused by the 1700 Cascadia earthquake, and earlier as a lookout for hunting now-extinct mastodon.[9] "Tamanowas" means "spirit power" in the Klallam language.[4]

Preservation

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The site is either a registered archaeological site, or nominated to become one with the Washington State Department of Archaeology.[10]

In 2013, the rock was purchased with 62 acres (25 ha) of surrounding land by the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe for preservation, at the end of a series of loans and purchases by organizations including Washington State Parks, Bullitt Foundation and Jefferson Land Trust, that started in 2009.[5][6] The land was added to an existing 22-acre purchase by the tribe. Prior to this, it was a rock climbing site,[11][12] a practice which was ended when the S'Klallam Tribe took ownership.[1][7][13][4]

Desecration

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In 2014, the rock was desecrated with graffiti, gaining national and international attention.[14][15][16][17][18][19]

Geology

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Formation of magmatic arc in a subduction zone

The mineral composition is Eocene subaerial adakitic lava and lava breccia.[20] Dikes of similar composition exist in the Blue Hills near Bremerton 60 km away, both thought to be created by subduction of the Kula-Farallon Ridge beneath North America. They may be related by being part of a magmatic arc , they may be two isolated volcanic centers, or they may have been created at a single center and displaced along a fault (see Puget Sound faults).[21][22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Tamanowas Rock site on Olympic Peninsula purchased by Jamestown S'Kallam tribe, Associated Press, January 6, 2013 – via The Oregonian
  2. ^ "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2011" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved May 13, 2012. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
  3. ^ a b Tamanowas Rock Sanctuary, Jefferson Land Trust, archived from the original on 2015-07-26, retrieved 2015-06-22
  4. ^ a b c "Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe buys sacred site of Tamanowas Rock", Peninsula Daily News, January 6, 2013
  5. ^ a b Barney Burke (December 17, 2009), "Tamanous Rock, forever: Tamanous Rock, sacred to S'Klallams, preserved from development", Port Townsend Leader
  6. ^ a b Middleton, Beth Rose (2011). Trust in the Land: New Directions in Tribal Conservation. University of Arizona Press. pp. 169–172. ISBN 9780816502295.
  7. ^ a b 2013 Annual Report (PDF), Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, 2014, p. 27
  8. ^ National Park Service (August 14, 2015), Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 8/03/15 through 8/07/15, retrieved August 14, 2015.
  9. ^ Dan McShane (January 7, 2013), "Tamanowas Rock Update", Reading the Washington Landscape (blog)
  10. ^ Washington State Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's nominations, Washington State Department of Archaeology, archived from the original on 2015-06-23, retrieved 2015-06-22
  11. ^ Jeff Chew (April 18, 2010), "View from Tamanowas' top: Conservation groups fret over future of Jefferson monolith", Peninsula Daily News
  12. ^ Dan McShane (October 29, 2010), "Adakite and Tamanowas Rock (Chimacum Rock)", Reading the Washington Landscape (blog)
  13. ^ Blumhagen, Stephanie (2013). Collaboration for Protection of a Sacred Site: A Case Study on Tamanowas Rock (PDF) (Master of Environmental Studies thesis). The Evergreen State College.
  14. ^ "Affectionate Graffiti Mars Sacred Indian Site", The New York Times, August 3, 2014
  15. ^ Lover's Graffiti Scrawled Across Sacred Rock: A vandal daubed the huge letters on a spiritual rock that has been used for millennia by Salish Native Americans, Sky News, 5 August 2014
  16. ^ Ancient Native American site desecrated, Associated Press, August 4, 2014 – via CBS News
  17. ^ Graffiti mars sacred Indian site in US, Press Trust of India, 4 August 2014 – via Zee News
  18. ^ "Graffiti mars sacred Indian site in US", New Zealand Herald, August 3, 2014[dead link]
  19. ^ "Tribe offers reward for info on Tamanowas Rock vandalism", Peninsula Daily News, August 9, 2014
  20. ^ Dave Tucker (November 8, 2010), "Tamanowas Rock, Chimacum, Olympic Peninsula", Northwest Geology Field Trips (blog)
  21. ^ Hahn, M., A. Graettinger, J. Gustafson, Caroline J. Ponzini, et al. 2004. "Eocene pyroclastic deposits at Chimacum, Washington; adakite magmatism in the Cascadia Forearc." Abstracts With Programs - Geological Society Of America 36(4; 4): 69-69. abstract
  22. ^ Tepper, J.; Clark, K.; Asmerom, Y.; McIntosh, W. (December 2002), "Eocene Adakites Associated With Initiation of Cascade Subduction, Puget Lowlands, WA", American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2002, abstract #V11A-1381, vol. 2002, Bibcode:2002AGUFM.V11A1381T, 2002AGUFM.V11A1381T
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