The Chief Shakes Tribal House renovation is almost done after a yearlong crawl towards completion – and a new, permanent carving shed is almost ready to be built adjacent to the SNO Building on Front Street in downtown.

The Shakes structure is beginning to look like a near finished product, with foundation, wall and roof construction wrapping up in the past few weeks. Finishing the interior will still take at least two more months, though, and some of the house’s artwork, including the screen, still needs to be restored. The bear screen, which guards the entrance to the Historical Site...