Name ferry for S'Klallam chief

Bring back Chetzemoka:  JCHS leads petition drive to have new ferry named after local chief

By Patrick J. SullivanIt's so simple, so obvious, that JoAnn Bussa is having an easy time gaining support to have the state's new ferry named the Chetzemoka.

Washington state has a modern tradition of naming new ferries after Native American tribes. The 64-car ferry now under construction is due to serve the Port Townsend-Keystone route by summer 2010.

The man known as Chits-a-mah-han, or Chetzemoka, (circa 1808-1888, nicknamed the Duke of York by white settlers), was chief of the S'Klallam who lived here in 1851, when white settlers formed what became Port Townsend.Below:  "JoAnn Bussa is leading the local effort to name the state's new ferry after S’Klallam Chief Chetzemoka. This statue of Chetzemoka at the Port Townsend Golf Club, created by Dick Brown in 1996, is, according to legend, near the place where the chief signaled to white settlers that the tribe had decided not to war against them." (Photo by Patrick J. Sullivan)