In honor of Halloween, we visited the Tribal Cemetery at 2002 East 28th Street, Tacoma, adjacent to the Emerald Queen Casino. We didn’t stay long, as dusk was approaching and we didn’t want the gate to lock behind us, but there is so much history there that I would like to go back. The entryway says Tribal Cemetery, but it is also known as Old Puyallup Indian Cemetery, Cushman Indian Cemetery, Puyallup Indian Cemetery and the Puyallup Tribal Cemetery. The best source of information was found on this website http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=223067

The cemetery’s land was formally set aside in 1894, but there are report of the site being used for burial for hundreds of years prior. The cemetery use to be next to the Cushman Indian Hospital, which I remember seeing on the hill. During the 1920s through the 1940s, the hospital tended to many cases of tuberculous and some of those who did not survive the illness are located here, often without their names being known. The cemetery is still in use.

Chief Leschi who died in 1858 is buried here. I hadn’t realized that he was hanged in Lakewood, WA for murder. In 2004, both houses of the Washington state legislature passed resolutions stating that Leschi was wrongly convicted and executed and  the state supreme court vacated Leschi’s conviction.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5861425

There is a small church located in the cemetery.