Before the annual Seafair Festival, there was the Golden Potlatch.
The festival featured airplanes doing stunts along waterfront, “hydroaeroplane” flights on the water, a parade downtown, performances by groups from around the Northwest and fireworks displays throughout the city.
According to the July 16, 1912, article in The Seattle Daily Times, the festival kicked off with the Alaska pageant, where the “Tilikums of Elttaes” paraded while telling a story of Alaska and the importance of the gold rush to Seattle.
The Tilikums, city boosters who sometimes wore “native” costumes, produced and performed in the parade.