In 1987, my father, Emmett Oliver, sat on the Washington State Centennial Commission, along with First Lady Jean Gardner and Secretary of State Ralph Munro. Emmett was the coordinator of the Native American Canoe Project for the Maritime Committee. As a member of this committee of the Heritage Council, this idea came to him in 1985. Then in the next few years, he was to create and stage it. In short, he was able to get 13 tribes interested, which grew to 18 canoes.

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