Strip Mall Martyr Rock

An engraved, four-ton granite boulder is dedicated to Leschi, Chief of the Nisquallies. "Martyr to the vengeance of the unforgiving white man, was hanged 300 yards S.E. from here, February 19, 1858." The hallowed spot for this memorial is a strip mall.

Leschi was accused of killing two militiamen (He was acquitted, far too late, in 2004). Government officials didn't want to hang him in the local fort, so he was taken to an oak tree just outside. That spot today is a couple of blocks south of the rock, in the middle of a subdivision that had probably just been built when the rock was dedicated in 1963.

The rock was knocked on its side by a pickup truck in early 2023, causing considerable damage to the truck, and putting a big crack in the rock. It was patched and back in its place by July 2023.

Strip Mall Martyr Rock

Address:: 8103 Steilacoom Blvd SW, Lakewood, WA
Directions:: In a strip mall (McDonald's, Ace Hardware) on the north side of Steilacoom Blvd SW at its intersection with Briggs Lane SW. The rock is in front of the large oak tree just to the right of the Dollar Tree store.

Nearby Offbeat Places

Chief Seattle Computer Bust, University Place, WA - 4 mi.

Korean Bible Figures, Tacoma, WA - 6 mi.

Bob's Java Jive: Giant Coffee Pot, Tacoma, WA - 5 mi.

In the region:

Seattle Pinball Museum, Seattle, WA - 31 mi.

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