He’s one of the most famous Native Americans in Washington history, and an instrumental figure in the long and sometimes bitter battle over Indian fishing rights.

A new and privately funded book about the life of Nisqually tribal leader Billy Frank Jr. is officially being launched Saturday afternoon in Olympia. The book is entitled “Where the Salmon Runs: The Life and Legacy of Billy Frank Jr.”

The book launch is from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at The Evergreen State College Longhouse. Frank will be the keynote speaker. The book’s author, Trova Heffernan, of the Secretary of State’s Legacy Project, will talk about writing the book. Signed copies of the book will be for sale at the launch event.  The book will be available to order through the Secretary of State’s Online Store, as well as on Amazon Kindle.

Several officials are slated to speak at the book launch, including Evergreen President Les Purce; Secretary of State Sam Reed; Bill Wilkerson, former director of the Washington State Department of Fisheries; and Patricia Zell, former staff of the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee.

The Legacy Project produces biographies and oral histories of influential and remarkable Washingtonians.