The Original Salmon Bake

For nearly 75 years, a carved welcome pole stood watch over Browns Point in Jerry Meeker Memorial Park, greeting generations of residents and visitors as they came home. Community members maintained it for decades through Eagle Scout projects, and in 1990 it was repaired after vandals attempted to cut it down. But the pole could not withstand everything. When it was struck by a vehicle, it was determined that it could no longer be saved.

Rather than let that piece of Browns Point history disappear, the community came together to build something new.           BPIC board member Alice Jones got the project started and found the artists for the job, carvers Micah McCarty and Nicolas Earl Sr. Sadly, Nick passed away shortly after completing the carving, following a battle with cancer, and the finished pole stands as a lasting tribute to his work alongside Micah’s.

The new Jerry Meeker Story Pole features a fisherman holding a spear, a canoe carried on his back, and a salmon at his side, with a bald eagle boasting a nearly 7 foot wingspan perched at the very top. The pole weighs over 450 pounds and is set into six feet of concrete, built to stand watch over Browns Point for generations to come.

On Sunday, July 12, 2026, the community gathered to unveil the new pole, with 62 neighbors turning out to celebrate. Longtime residents and newer neighbors swapped stories about Jerry Meeker (Doyotta La Hal Da) throughout the afternoon, and the Browns Point community was honored to be joined by a representative from the Puyallup Tribal Council, along with their spouse and daughter.

 Thank You to Our Community

A project like this doesn’t happen without a great many hands, and BPIC is deeply grateful to everyone who gave their time, expertise, and resources over the years it took to bring this pole to life.

BPIC board member Alice Jones got this project off the ground and found our carvers, Micah McCarty and Nicolas Earl Sr. The early fundraising effort for the pole, which raised nearly $40,000 as a community, was led primarily by Mike Stenberg, Alice Jones, and Sylvia McClung, with generous support from Kevin Cronk, Carl and Jan Fisher, Bart Parker, the Points Northeast Historical Society, Linda and Jack Butcher, Browns Point United Methodist Church, and Jim Harnish.

As BPIC President, Kim Hoffman kept this project moving forward, keeping it on the Board’s agenda and enlisting Dave Malone’s help along the way. It was Kim who connected the project with Terry Wise, a former land specialist who volunteered his expertise free of charge and was instrumental in identifying the permitting path that ultimately got this pole built. BPIC is grateful to Andrew Larson, P.E., Development Services Engineer, along with Maha Ableson, Jeff Loescher, Matthew Rochon, R.A., P.E., State Bridge & Structures Architect, Scott Davis, HQ Transportation Operations Design Engineer, Sarah Ott, P.E., Olympic Region Traffic Engineer, Taylor McNeill, Olympic Region Landscape Architect, and Steve Roark, P.E., Olympic Region Administrator, for their patience and support throughout a lengthy permitting process.

Special thanks also go to Marty Campbell, Pierce County Assessor, who in a previous role helped secure a $13,000 grant from the City of Tacoma, and to Dave Malone, a longtime community member who spent countless hours coordinating with government officials, including Representative Jake Fey, who helped push the project forward, and Brian Yamble, who listened closely to the project’s roadblocks and worked to help resolve them.

BPIC board member Tom Messana used his industry connections to get the project’s structural engineering drawings stamped at a fraction of the usual cost. Mike Stenberg contributed countless hours, stored the finished pole on his own property. Bpic also extends special thanks to Vito Alia and R.L. Alia Construction, who provided insurance and bonding for the project, and who have generously supported this community on more than one occasion. Thanks also go to Holroyd Company for their generous concrete pricing, and to Specialty Metals and Jim Stice for discounted metal work.

Finally, BPIC extends heartfelt thanks to Sam Shakhramanov’s brother, Arsen, who spent multiple weekends designing the foundation and installing the pole on his own time, a true labor of love for this community.

This project took years and the dedication of an entire community to complete, and BPIC is thankful to everyone, named and unnamed, who made it possible.