PHOTO COURTESY OF WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Henry Sicade (left) was a prominent leader for the Puyallup Tribe and an advocate for Indian education. He was considered one of the most progressive Indians of this area.

Henry Sicade, Revered leader of Puyallups

By Tribal News

Fifty years ago on May 10, 1929 a large granite boulder next to the Fife school building was unveiled in ceremonies attended by Henry Sicade, members of his family and prominent members of the Puyallup Tribe.

The marker honored the memory of Thomas Lane, last chief of the Puyallup Indian Tribe, and was a tribute to Sicade, tribe counselor.

On the stone was the inscription “The Puyallup Tribe of Indians took residence on this reservation in 1857, became citizens of the United States in 1908. Tom Lane, Chief Iudyoupkin, last Chief of the Puyallup Tribe, was born 1852 died 1909. Henry Sicade, born Feb. 12, 1866 elected to the Indian council in 1883, which he has served continuously since. These men advanced education as a means of civilized achievement for their tribe. This stone erected by the Woman’s Club of Tacoma May 9, 1929.”

Henry Sicade was born at Squalley, Pierce County, in 1866. He was early influenced by twin desires – to help his people toward the future and to keep their pride in their past.

He was a son of Charles Sicade and Susan Stann, daughter of Chief Stann of Puyallup. His father had been a scout for the U.S. Army and was later a deputy sheriff of Pierce County.

After both his parents’ deaths, Henry Sicade, when he was only 13 years old, went to Chemawa, Ore., to a trades school headed by a Capt. Wilkinson. Of the 18 boys from the Puyallup Tribe who also went off to the school, Henry was the most apt in bookwork and in manual training.

He spent two years there, then went to Forest Grove, Ore., to attend the Tulalip Academy and Pacific University. There he finished four years’ work in three but at the expense of his health. Doctors advised an outdoor life and he became associate with cowboys in Eastern Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

When Sicade had saved enough gold from his cowboy work, he went off to the East to see “where the white people came from,” as his grandparents had advised him when he was a small child.

In 1886, he returned to the Puyallup reservation to claim his mother’s allotment for 122 acres near Tacoma. But he found that an Indian agent had taken it and confused the records. His father’s land, which consisted of a house and a tract of swampland, had also been taken by others.

For a while he was connected with the Indian service put resigned, dissatisfied with its conduct of affairs.

Then came marriage to Alice Lane, who was elected chief of the Puyallups in 1883.

When only 17, Henry Sicade had been elected to the Puyallup Indian Council, a governing board of middle-aged men. The council later named tribe trustees of whom he was one.  He served on the board as a trustee for life.

After his marriage, Sicade became manager of a large ranch in the Puyallup Valley. The job combined dairying, the breeding of blooded horses and hop-raising, all of which kept him busy and had enough scope to interest him.

He and his family were settled at Gardenville by 1898. The next year the Fife public school was started with only seven pupils. Later, a church was built on the land in Fife given by Sicade.

Politics always interested him. He was a Republican and attended county and state political conventions. Though he frequently served as road commissioner or county committee chairman, he refused all political jobs. He did serve as an interpreter in the courts and was of great use to his people.

Sicade was a good friend of W.P. Bonney who for many years was curator of the Washington State Historical Society museum and the Indian relayed to Bonney much good material of legends his people told him.

During his life, Sicade served on the state education board for Indian scholarships, was chairman of the Pierce County school directors, chairman of the Fife School District where he served more than 25 yeas.

He was recognized as one of the most progressive Indians of this area and was held in high esteem by welfare and educational groups. When Henry Sicade died on Dec. 14 1938, his survivors included his wife, three sons, Henry Jr. of Tacoma, Charles S. of Bremerton and Robert L. of the home, three daughters, Sally and Clara of the home and Mrs. Harriet Cross of Puyallup, and six grandchildren.

An oil portrait of Henry Sicade painted by Tacoman Rowena Lung Alcorn now hangs in the Northwest Room at the Tacoma Public Library.

Henry C. Sicade: A Short Sketch by his Daughter, Sally Sicade

Henry Charles Sicade was born February 12, 1866, at Lakeview, Wash.; his father was Charles Sicade. From 1873 to 1879 Mr. Sicade attended the Cushman School. At that time there were 12 to 15 students attending.

When he was 13 years old he became an orphan. He stayed in Tacoma just long enough to accumulate sufficient money to get to Forest Grove, Ore. There he attended the Pacific Academy and later Pacific University. During this time he carried the full schedule of schoolwork, made the athletic teams and earned enough money by working to pay for his room, board and books. He served in the militia for three years, two in the infantry and one in the artillery, and was drilled by a captain who graduated from West Point. His health broke down and he decided to go east. He worked his way, traveling through Idaho, Montana and Wyoming as a cowboy.

While he was in Montana he learned that “Calamity Jane” and her “gang” was nearby. Calamity Jane was leader of a notorious band of cutthroats. Unarmed, he entered their rendezvous, and all eyes were turned upon him. Learning of his intention, the leader permitted him to ride with them through the night while they visited saloons and caroused about the country. At daybreak he left them.

He was one of 11 cowboys who handled 1,000 horses owned by W. D. Hoxter of Forest Grove, Ore. The outfit traveled with the stock into the Dakotas and up across the Canadian line. At this time there was a band of outlaws known as “The Knights of the Golden West,” who traveled about stealing and selling livestock. It was a question of who would rule, the thieves or the honest stockmen, in the deciding fight. Ten cowboys and 13 outlaws were killed. When an outlaw was killed be was never buried, but was hung up as an example to others. The only law was the “survival of the strongest.”

His father had never been able to read or write, but had served as a scout in the United States Army and had been deputy sheriff. He had always told his son to go to school and to travel. Remembering this, Mr. Sicade decided to travel and see the country. He went east, stopping at Minneapolis, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Detroit and then on up into Maine. With a newspaperman he traveled through southern Canada and in central New York.

When he was 17 he was elected to the council of the Puyallup Tribe and today is the oldest member. With the aid of other members he had $25,000 set aside to be used on the Cushman cemetery and had seven other cemeteries moved into this one. He helped found and build the Fife grammar and high schools and served as a member of the district school board for several years. He is one of the few who have been made life members of the Washington State School Directors Association and served under Mrs. Josephine Corliss Preston for 15 years.

In Tacoma’s community activities he served as first clerk of the Indian court, justice of the court, chief of police and chief justice, and was then put in charge of the agricultural work and the boys of the Cushman School. Later he was promoted to member of field service with a large number of men working under him. This work was quite irregular and he traveled all over the country, constructing bridges, roads, barns, buildings, etc. For two years he was head of this work and then he resigned to become foreman of the 500-acre ranch of Alexander Jeff. Forty acres of this ranch were in hops and the rest was given over to the raising of sheep, cattle, pigs and horses. When Mr. Jeff died, Mr. Sicade became a trustee for life. Today he is manager of the estate and has charge of the renting of the land and the upkeep of the buildings.

His ideal in life has been to serve humanity, not only his people, but others as well. At present he is serving on a committee which is handling the Cushman Hospital. This hospital, which is scheduled to open in July 1929, will later be given over to the benefit of the Indians. Eventually it will be placed entirely in the hands of the government.

Apart from his work in the schools, Mr. Sicade has supervised the building of roads, bridges and streets, especially Bay Street and those surrounding Cushman. He now is serving his 35th year as committeeman for the Republican Party.

Today he continues to devote his entire efforts to the welfare of his community, city and state of Washington.

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