Billy Frank Jr.

When the sun-warmed blackberries are ready in late summer — so are the king salmon.So said Willie Frank III, the son of well-known Nisqually environmental…

(Runtime 0:56)WENATCHEE— A documentary highlighting tribal leaders who stepped forward as environmental stewards to protect salmon will be screened at the…

Emotions flooded the State Reception Room in Olympia Jan. 10 as tribal leaders, Washington lawmakers, and community members came together to witness the unveiling of the maquette of Billy Frank Jr. The maquette, a smaller replica of a 9-foot tall statue of Frank that will go to the National Statuary Hall collection, honors the late champion for Native American treaty rights and natural resources.

The Billy Frank Jr. statue would replace one of Oregon Trail pioneer Marcus Whitman. The larger-than-life bronze of Whitman has stood in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall for nearly 70 years.

A measure to honor the late Billy Frank Jr. with a statue at the U.S. Capitol cleared the Legislature Monday. On a 44-5 bipartisan vote, the Democratic-led Senate approved the bill that seeks to replace Washington’s Marcus Whitman statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection with a statue of Frank, a Nisqually tribal member who championed treaty rights.

Cassandra Tate’s recent book on the storied white missionaries sheds light on a poorly understood chapter of our state’s settler past.