The Elliot Bay Treaty was signed between the U.S. federal government and chiefs representing some of the indigenous groups in area surrounding present-day Kenmore, including Chief Seattle who hailed from both the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes Subsequently, some of the affected groups moved to the reservations the treaty had established. Others managed to remain in their homelands for some time longer, despite pressures from government officials and encroaching Euro-American settlers. Some indigenous families established U.S. government-recognized homesteads in the region, and many indigenous people worked.
