`The Maiden Of Deception Pass' -- Story Pole Relates Salty Lore Of Samish Maiden

The Samish Indians, a coastal tribe, highly values Rosario Beach and considers sacred the sparkling blue water and its rugged shoreline.

At an ancient tribal campsite near the beach, the tribe has placed a 23-foot hand-carved story pole of red cedar that explains the legend of Ko-kwal-alwoot, "The Maiden of Deception Pass."

According to lore, Ko-kwal-alwoot was a beautiful girl who lived in a village at the site many years ago. One day, as she gathered food along the shore, a young man "from beneath the water" saw her and fell deeply in love. He asked to marry her. When the maiden's father refused, the young man made the seafood disappear until he was granted permission to marry Ko-kwal-alwoot.

The maiden returned to her people once a year, for four years, but she was never the same. Barnacles had grown on her hands and arms, and her long hair had turned into kelp. Chilly winds followed her wherever she walked. Sensing she was unhappy out of the water, Ko-kwal-alwoot's people told her she did not have to return to the village anymore. The maiden became the tribe's guiding spirit, and provided an abundance of marine life in the area.