Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Item
Title
BOLAND-B22865
Date(s)
- 1930-08-26 (Creation)
Extent
Name of creator
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When over 1,500 Masons descended on Tacoma in August of 1930 for their national convention, they called on Jerry Meeker, of the Puyallup Tribe, to cook their salmon. They held a barbecue at the pavilion in Point Defiance Park on August 26th. Jerry Meeker (far right) was born in 1862 in Fern Hill on Military Road. He started the Browns Point clam bake (later salmon bake) in 1912 and he became legendary for his cooking skills. He presided over the annual Browns Point festival until 1954. He died in April of 1955, two days short of his 93rd birthday. Meeker Middle School (originally a junior high school) in northeast Tacoma was named in his honor in 1958.
Meeker, Jerry; Indigenous peoples--Washington; Salmon; Barbecues; Outdoor cookery;