Salish is the first language of Spokane. The word “Spokane” comes from n̓p̓q̓ínišcn (Spokane Salish) word sp̓q̓niʔ meaning “sun” or “moon”. Salish is highly endangered, with fewer than 70 surviving fluent Elders in the United States. Salish School of Spokane is working to preserve and revitalize Salish by working with fluent Elders to teach the language to children and their parents.
The Salish School of Spokane was established in 2010 with the mission to create a vibrant community of fluent speakers of Interior Salish languages by providing Salish language instruction to children and by empowering parents and families to speak Salish in their daily lives.
The Spokane Geocache Tour committee was very honored when the head of the Spokane Tribal Council approved the use of the design you see below for our logo and coin: “In regards to the coin, they spelled it correctly and I would think we are pleased with the design and the entity reaching out to us.” We are happy we were able to include the original history of Spokane part of this Geocache Tour.
2015 is the inaugural year of Spokane Geocache Tour. This Spokane County tour will send geocachers on a trip through Spokane History, finding caches in areas of historical significance. Visit urban and rural gems, historic farming communities, forts, geological marvels, and seek new adventures. The Spokane History Geocache Tour rewards those who complete with a commemorative geocoin featuring the native Spokane Salish language.
- Be sure to read the challenge rules and print your passport at SpokaneGeoTour.com.
- You must record the cache code word on the passport with the code inside each Geocache Tour cache to qualify for a geocoin.
The Spokane History Geocache Tour is sponsored by Spokane County TPA, Cache Advance, and Washington State Geocaching Association (WSGA). We hope you enjoy the tour!
