Fur trading and tribal history will be featured Monday at Spokane House at Riverside State Park

The area near the confluence of the Spokane and the Little Spokane rivers near Nine Mile Falls housed the first permanent white settlement in the area in 1810. But it was a significant settlement of Native Americans long before that.

The Spokane House Interpretive Center, located where there used to be a fur trading post, will be the site of a historical re-enactment from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday.

The event is sponsored by the Friends of Spokane House and the Riverside State Park Foundation. Called “Winter Quarters in 1810,” the afternoon will include readings from the Spokane House Trading Post Winter Journal, stories from the Spokane Tribe, historical games and music and tours of the Interpretive Center. Historical re-enactors dressed in period clothing will lead the event.

According to the Spokane County Historic Preservation Office, the site probably included a store, warehouse and housing, but no one is certain of the precise location of Spokane House. Friends of Spokane House President Skip Kuck said the fur trading post was built by the Northwest Company, which was a Canadian fur trading company, under David Thompson and Jaco Finley. It was the first business established in Washington state, Kuck said.

Spokane Tribe historian Warren Seyler said before the fur traders arrived, the site was one of the main tribal fishing sites because of the salmon fishery in the Spokane River and the excellent steelhead fishery in the Little Spokane.

“It has historically been a trade center for the Spokane Tribe and other tribes in the area,” he said. “It was an economic hub.”

He said about 100 to 200 people lived there year-round, but the population swelled to up to 1,500 during fishing season. People caught fish to feed them through the winter and to trade for furs, horses and other needed items.

Seyler said tribal members had seen visions of the visitors who would come, so they were prepared when the fur traders arrived.

“They were already expected,” he said. “They were already in our lore. They were actually welcomed with open arms.”

Though the fur traders were welcomed, that’s when cultural changes were introduced to the tribe, Seyler said.

“Things changed, some for the good, some for the bad,” he said.

By 1926, the area was trapped out and the fur trading post was shut down. The traders moved to the Kettle Falls area, Seyler said.

The Spokane House Interpretive Center includes large outdoor murals of life in 1810 that were recently redone by artist Shaun Deller. Seyler said the murals make his task of explaining life at the time easier.

“It just brings life to that site,” he said.

There will be a bonfire and free hot chocolate during Monday’s event. People are encouraged to dress warmly and bring outdoor chairs for sitting around the bonfire. The site is located at 13501 N. Nine Mile Road. Monday is a free day in Riverside State Park, so no parking permit is required.