The Project: Cheshiahud Challenge (2012)
Each Fourth of July, thousands of Puget Sound residents converge on Lake Union to enjoy Seattle’s annual Independence Day fireworks display.  Yet few attendees appreciate the lake’s long history, dating back centuries before white settlers arrived.  The Cheshiahud Challenge – named for one of the last Native Americans who lived on Lake Union’s shores  – was a family-friendly scavenger hunt sponsored by the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI). It tasked locals with a six mile journey of discovery into the lake’s rich commercial, agricultural, and industrial past.  Hundreds of people of all ages participated in this one-day activity, puzzling through clues and seeing the landscape as they never had before.

My Role: Project Management, Research, and Interpretation
As MOHAI's Manager of Programs & Community Engagement, I oversaw the Cheshiahud Challenge’s content and logistics.  With support from my public programs team, along with staff and volunteers from a variety of partner organizations, I researched the site, selected content, and developed interpretive methods (including using MOHAI Minutes) to deliver information and clues about the Lake Union's history.  I initiated partnerships with local stakeholders, including Starbucks and the Bumbershoot music festival, and earned support from private property and business owners along the lake’s shores to ensure participants felt welcome and encouraged to explore.