Each of the 12 tribes had its distinct language and culture. They lived in domed mat structures during the winter months, ate primarily fish, and gathered with other tribes for celebrations, food harvesting, trading, and sports.

The land around present-day Omak was inhabited for centuries by members of 12 nomadic tribes who moved according to the seasons, settling near waterways such as the Okanogan and Columbia rivers which provided plentiful food and trade routes. Twelve Tribes, Joseph Pogue, and Ben Ross Protests and lawsuits have dogged the race over the years but it continues to be held the second weekend of August. In 1933, two cattlemen established the Omak Stampede rodeo two years later, they added the World Famous Suicide Race, in which horses and riders careen wildly down a steep slope, across the Okanogan River, and up an equally steep embankment on the other side. Other early industries important to Omak were fruit canning, box making, and lumber. The irrigation canals, coupled with the area's 300-plus days of sunshine, enabled settlers to farm apples, apricots, peaches, plums, and alfalfa. 'Omak' is a Salishan word meaning 'good medicine' or 'plenty,' a reference to the town's mild weather, though a reliable source of water was in short supply until 1910, when the Okanogan Irrigation Project was completed.

Present-day Omak was founded in 1907 by surveyor Ben Ross and incorporated in 1911. The first non-Native settlers arrived in the 1850s. For centuries, the surrounding area was inhabited by Native American peoples made up of 12 nomadic tribes whose descendants became the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

Omak, located on the Okanogan River in north central Washington, is the largest city in Okanogan County, with a 2020 population of about 4,750.

12 tribes casino okanogan