"Unconquering the Last Frontier" Screening at the Historic Lincoln Theatre

On Oct. 13, at 7 pm, Mt. Baker Group/Sierra Club will sponsor a screening of “Unconquering the Last Frontier,” by Emmy® Award winning filmmaker Robert Lundahl at the Lincoln Theatre in Mount Vernon. This film, first released in 2000, brings to life the impacts of the two Elwha River dams on the Lower Elwha Klallam people from the time of the dams’ creation in the early 20th century to the early 21st century. It depicts the Tribe’s struggle to overcome colonial industrialization, the loss of their salmon-centric way of life, and their efforts to restore the sacred connection to the lands and waters that sustained them since time immemorial.

If you think you know the story of the Elwha dams because they have now been removed, think again. The real story of how devastating those dams were on the people who didn’t want them is revealed in this heartfelt, compelling, and revealing film. Told with the assistance of the Klallam people, especially two tribal elders, Beatrice Charles and Adeline Smith, this is a behind-the-scenes look at how colonization ruined a way of life that had existed for thousands of years.

The film will be followed by a live interactive discussion, moderated by veteran journalist and author Lynda Mapes, and hosted by Tribal members and elders Scott Schuyler (Upper Skagit), J.J. Wilbur (Swinomish), and Linda Wiechman and Vanessa Castle (Lower Elwha Klallam).

For more details, see the press release and poster here: Press release and poster. Tickets are available on The Lincoln Theatre’s website here: Unconquering. Cost: $14.50 General Admission at the door.