The Guild is honored to have David Buerge speak about his new book, Chief Seattle and the Town that Took His Name. Based on more that two decades of research, Buerge’s book is the first to tell a full story of Chief Seattle, his life, and his influence on Seattle. Without a doubt, the book is one of the most important contributions toward understanding the city’s complex racial history. It is a book every Seattleite should read. Buerge’s book is also the 2018 winner of the Virginia Marie Folkins Award for outstanding local history book, presented by the Association of King County Historical Organizations.
Carla Rickerson introduces David Buerge
“Chief Seattle and the Town that Took his Name is a thoroughly researched, insightful and at times heartbreaking book that transforms the chief’s image as a gloomy prophesier, an impression largely based on a rewrite of his most famous speech by white pioneer Henry Allen Smith.” Mary Ann Gwinn, Seattle Times review
“Buerge’s book, beautifully written and rich with detail, reaches out to the dead to make things right. It pulls Chief Seattle out of the sawdust and gives him his due. This book also demonstrates that the dead are not powerless, and that good history demands that we listen to what they have to say.” Knute Berger, Crosscut review
