One thing I love about identifying props and details in Twin Peaks is that some of these things are still found at film locations today. For this article, I’m taking a look at a background prop from the Blue Pine Lodge – a Thunderbird totem pole at home to the Martell family and Josie Packard. This carving by an extremely talented artist named Donald Wells Keys is still found at Kiana Lodge in Poulsbo, Washington.
WHO IS DONALD WELLS KEYS?
Thanks to a thorough article by Leslie Meyer for HistoryLink.org, I learned a lot about Donald Wells Keys, a prolific carver in the Pacific Northwest starting in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It’s a great read so I invite you to take a few moment to her article.
In short, Keys was born on August 13, 1911, in Chatanika, a gold-mining community near Fairbanks, Alaska. In 1959, he got his first big break thanks to his wife Evelyn who “saw a blueprint for the new Northwest Hospital being built at Northgate near her doctor’s office and noticed that it included a totem pole as part of the design.” After showing examples of her husband’s work, he was hired to carve a 22-foot-tall pole. It was his interpretation of a Northwest Coast story about Thunderbird saving a village that was being threatened by a whale.
This opened the door to numerous other projects that dotted the Seattle landscape – a 22-foot-tall Hoonah Raven in front of Louie’s Restaurant, Tiki-style carvings on the beams of the Polynesia, a restaurant on Pier 51, and newel posts and hand-hewn benches for St. Bernard’s Chapel at Snoqualmie Pass.
It’s interesting to note that Keys never claimed to be Native American or an Alaskan Native. He appreciated the culture and traditions of the Native communities and forged strong relationships with many elders. The Northwest Coast subject matter in his works was more imitative and less accurate than traditional styles. He applied his own interpretations to carvings that become icons of the Pacific Northwest.
WHERE IS KIANA LODGE LOCATED?
Located at 14976 Sandy Hook Rd NE in Poulsbo, the Kiana Lodge opened in 1937 for Seattleites looking for an escape from the city.
In the 1960s, the Lodge was home to numerous convention groups and guests looking to get away to the “Evergreen Playground.” Ferry boats would regularly deliver visitors to a dock nearby.
The beautiful Kiana Lodge was only 12 minutes from downtown Seattle by boat. Guests could enjoy the famous Kiana potlatch salmon barbecues with spectacular views of Agate Pass.
Native American carvings and artwork were found throughout the area, which leads me to believe Keys was contracted to add the Thunderbird totem pole at some point in the 1960s.
The undated postcard above was published for Max R. Jensen of Seattle, Washington by Mike Roberts / Berkley 94710. The postcard number is SC16212 and is titled, “Kiana Old Lodge, Agate Pass, Washington. Port Madison Indian Reservation.”
Today, the Suquamish Tribe owns this private wedding and meeting location. While they welcome visitors, they ask you give their paying clients their privacy and plan to visit when there are no events going on. Call ahead to check on their schedule – (360) 598-4311.
THUNDERBIRD TOTEM AT KIANA LODGE
The totem pole is still found outside Kiana Lodge today but it was repainted and moved to a different spot that what is seen in Twin Peaks.
When I first visited Kiana Lodge on August 10, 1996, I found the pole in its original spot, near the back entrance where Josie Packard and Catherine Martell stand outside in the pilot episode.
This short video from 1996 includes a look at the totem pole and the giant log near where Laura Palmer’s body was discovered.
Jared Lyon, a long-time Twin Peaks fan and organizer of the Twin Peaks Fan Festival in the 2000s, took this image of the Thunderbird pole on August 19, 2002.
The pole was still in it’s original spot in December 2005 based on this photo by SrDP on Flickr.
Two years later, the pole was pretty much how it appeared in the series.
THUNDERBIRD TOTEM POLE ON THE MOVE AT KIANA LODGE
At some point between 2009 and 2012, the pole was relocated to a spot near the Kiana Lodge along the path that Pete walks in the pilot episode. I’m guessing the move was made due to renovations to outdoor dining spaces near the dining room inside the lodge.
The totem pole was painted a tan, black and red color at some point between mid-September 2019 and November 1, 2019.
I found this Instagram post of the totem pole from November 1 by Paula Rebalo which shows the painted pole. When I visited in January 2020, it was already painted.
THUNDERBIRD TOTEM POLE APPEARENCE IN TWIN PEAKS
The Thunderbird pole makes its first appearance early in the pilot episode.
It’s barely visible but the top of the Thunderbird totem pole can be seen when Pete stops to remark about the lonesome foghorn.
Zooming in, you can see the top of the bird’s head.
This behind-the-scenes photo from The Mauve Zone has Jack Nance (Pete Martell) and director David Lynch talking between takes. The top of the Thunderbird is seen between them.
We get the best look at Keys’ carving when Pete walks back toward Laura’s body. Just before he appears in frame to set down his fishing gear, we can see the pole.
The pole returns at the end of the episode when Sheriff Truman visits Josie Packard at the Blue Pine Lodge. He walks by it on his way to meet her on the porch.
The spot looks completely different today as a set of stairs take up the once empty space. You can, however, see the three poles just left of the stairs which are still at the Lodge today.
A nighttime shot of Blue Pine Lodge with the totem pole is seen in episode 2.004.
The pole makes one more appearance as another establishing shot in episode 2.014.
I captured a similar shot during a recent visit in February 2023, though the background is slightly different now.
One could argue the final appearance of the pole is found in episode 2020 with this establishing shot. Yet, it’s difficult to see it behind the trees.
VIEWS OF THE THUNDERBIRD TOTEM POLE AT KIANA LODGE
I’m happy that Kiana Lodge has kept the totem pole on their grounds. It’s a testament to a master carver whose work has mostly disappeared from the Seattle area due to progress. Here are a few additional views of the pole.
This a painting inside Kiana Lodge has the Thunderbird totem pole found in the same spot as the series.
Don Keys provided another carving that appears in Twin Peaks – a bear that is seen in the Great Northern Hotel. But that’s another story for another time.
