The first Native American Indian inhabitants of the area lived quietly in the Spokane Valley area. They were members of the Upper Band of the Interior Salish Indians and called themselves “Sn-tutuul-i”, the meaning of which is not known. In about 1783, fur traders from the North West Company began traveling through the area. They called these Indians the “Spokanes” which has been interpreted as meaning “Children of the Sun.” The Spokanes were a peaceful people, on friendly terms with neighboring tribes and later the fur traders and missionaries who came to the area. They fished salmon, hunted game, and ate camassia roots and berries they gathered. As with most American Indians, the Spokanes honored and respected the Earth and left little mark on the land with the exception of the faint tra