Henry Cayou (c. 1869 - March 31, 1959) was a Coast Salish businessman and politician who was one of the first Native elected officials in Washington state.
His mother was Native American, from the unrecognized Mitchell Bay Band (a community of Northern Straits Salish speakers), and his father was of French descent.
[14] On March 6, 1911, he suffered a skull fracture in an freak explosion when he accidentally caused a spark close to an open can of gasoline.
[2] In 2021, a proposal to rename a channel between Orcas and Shaw islands after Cayou was submitted to the Washington State Board on Geographic Names.
"[17] On July 5, 2022, the Board unanimously approved the proposal, attributing its success to "a substantial community organizing effort from San Juan County residents.