Totem Pole, Pioneer Square

Uncirculated
Published by Curteich, 1941

Caption:

The Seattle totem pole was made by Alaska Indians under the auspices of the Federal Government. Permission to get the pole for Seattle was secured by an act of Congress and signed by the President of the United States. The pole stands in Pioneer Square and is 50 feet high.

According to HistoryLink, however, the totem pole was actually stolen from an Alaskan Indian village, and a grand jury in Alaska indicted eight prominent Seattle citizens for the theft, but papers were never served, and a Federal judge later dismissed the suit. In the late 1930s, the original totem pole was damaged by arson and a replica (carved by descendants of the tribe who created the original totem) was erected in its place.