Chapter XXVI: The Chehalis Council

While treating with the Sound Indians, the governor sent William H. Tappan, agent for the southwestern tribes, Henry D. Cock, and Sidney Ford to summon the Chinooks, Chehalis, and coast Indians to meet in council on the Chehalis River, just above Gray's Harbor, on February 25, and on returning to Olympia dispatched Simmons and Shaw on the same duty. On the 22d he left Olympia on horseback, rode to the Chehalis, thirty miles, and the following day descended that stream in a canoe to the treaty ground. Among other settlers who attended the council at the governor's invitation was James G. Swan, then residing on Shoalwater Bay, and since noted for his interesting writings on the Pacific Northwest, and for the valuable collections of Indian implements and curiosities, and monographs of their languages, customs, and history that he has made for the Smithsonian Institution. Judge Swan gives the following graphic and lively account of this council in his "Three Years' Residence in Washington Territory." He describes how he and Dr. J.G. Cooper, accompanied by twenty canoe-loads of Indians, paddled up the Chehalis one cold, damp morning, without waiting for breakfast, finding it difficult to keep warm:--

"But the Indians did not seem to mind it at all; for, excited with
the desire to outvie each other in their attempts to be first to
camp, they paddled, and screamed, and shouted, and laughed, and cut
up all kinds of antics, which served to keep them in a glow. As we
approached the camp we all stopped at a bend in the river, about
three quarters of a mile distant, when all began to wash their
faces, comb their hair, and put on their best clothes. The women got
out their bright shawls and dresses, and painted their faces with
vermilion, or red ochre and grease, and decked themselves out with
their beads and trinkets, and in about ten minutes we were a
gay-looking set; and certainly the appearance of the canoes filled
with Indians dressed in their brightest colors was very picturesque,
but I should have enjoyed it better had the weather been a little
warmer.

"The camp ground was situated on a bluff bank of the river, on its
south side, about ten miles from Gray's Harbor, on the claim of Mr.
James Pilkington. A space of two or three acres had been cleared
from logs and brushwood, which had been piled up so as to form an
oblong square. One great tree, which formed the southern side to the
camp, served also as an immense backlog, against which our great
camp-fire and sundry smaller ones were kindled, both to cook by and
to warm us. In the centre of the square, and next the river, was the
governor's tent; and between it and the south side of the ground
were the commissary's and other tents, all ranged in proper order.
Rude tables, laid in open air, and a huge framework of poles, from
which hung carcasses of beef, mutton, deer, elk, and salmon, with a
cloud of wild geese, ducks, and smaller game, gave evidence that the
austerities of Lent were not to form any part of our services.

"Around the sides of the square were ranged the tents and wigwams of
the Indians, each tribe having a space allotted to it. The coast
Indians were placed at the lower part of the camp; first the
Chinooks, then the Chehalis, Quen-ai-ult, and Quaitso, Satsop, upper
Chehalis, and Cowlitz. These different tribes had sent
representatives to the council, and there were present about three
hundred and fifty of them, and the best feeling prevailed among all.

"The white persons present consisted of only fourteen, viz.,
Governor Stevens, George Gibbs (who officiated as secretary to the
commission), Judge Ford, with his two sons, who were assistant
interpreters, Lieutenant-Colonel B.F. Shaw, the chief interpreter,
Colonel Simmons and Mr. Tappan, Indian agents, Dr. Cooper, Mr.
Pilkington, the owner of the claim, Colonel Cock, myself, and last,
though by no means the least, Cushman, our commissary, orderly
sergeant, provost marshal, chief story-teller, factotum, and life of
the party,--'Long may he wave.' Nor must I omit Green McCafferty,
the cook, whose name had become famous for his exploits in an
expedition to Queen Charlotte's Island to rescue some sailors from
the Indians. He was a good cook and kept us well supplied with hot
biscuit and roasted potatoes.

"Our table was spread in the open air, and at breakfast and supper
was pretty sure to be covered with frost, but the hot dishes soon
cleared that off, and we found the clear, fresh breeze very
conducive to a good appetite. After supper we all gathered round the
fire to smoke our pipes, toast our feet, and tell stories.

"The next morning the council was commenced. The Indians were all
drawn up in a large circle in front of the governor's tent, and
around a table on which were placed the articles of treaty and other
papers. The governor, General Gibbs, and Colonel Shaw sat at the
table, and the rest of the whites were honored with camp-stools, to
sit around as a sort of guard, or as a small cloud of witnesses.

"Although we had no regimentals on, we were dressed pretty uniform.
His Excellency the Governor was dressed in a red flannel shirt, dark
frock coat and pants, and these last tucked in his boots, California
fashion; a black felt hat, with, I think, a pipe stuck through the
band; and a paper of fine-cut tobacco in his coat pocket. We also
were dressed like the governor, not in ball-room or dress-parade
uniform, but in good, warm, serviceable clothes.

"After Colonel Mike Simmons, the agent, and, as he has been termed,
the Daniel Boone of the Territory, had marshaled the savages into
order, an Indian interpreter was selected from each tribe to
interpret the jargon of Shaw into such language as their tribes
could understand. The governor then made a speech, which was
translated by Colonel Shaw into jargon, and spoken to the Indians,
in the same manner the good old elders of ancient times were
accustomed to deacon out the hymns to the congregation. First the
governor spoke a few words, then the colonel interpreted, then the
Indians; so that this threefold repetition made it rather a lengthy
operation. After this speech the Indians were dismissed till the
following day, when the treaty was to be read. We were then
requested by the governor to explain to those Indians we were
acquainted with what he had said, and they seemed very well
satisfied. The governor had purchased of Mr. Pilkington a large pile
of potatoes,--about a hundred bushels,--and he told the Indians to
help themselves. They made the heap grow small in a short time, each
taking what he required for food; but lest any one should get an
undue share, Commissary Cushman and Colonel Simmons were detailed to
stand guard on the potato pile, which they did with the utmost good
feeling, keeping the savages in a roar of laughter by their humorous
ways.

"At night we again gathered around the fire, and the governor
requested that we should enliven the time by telling anecdotes,
himself setting the example. Governor Stevens has a rich fund of
interesting and amusing incidents that he has picked up in his camp
life, and a very happy way of relating them. We were all called upon
in turn. There were some tales told of a wild and romantic nature,
and Judge Ford and Colonel Mike did their part. Old frontiersmen and
early settlers, they had many a legend to relate of toil, privation,
fun, and frolic; but the palm was conceded to Cushman, who certainly
could vie with Baron Munchausen or Sindbad the Sailor in his
wonderful romances. His imitative powers were great, and he would
take off some speaker at a political gathering or a camp-meeting in
so ludicrous a style that even the governor could not preserve his
gravity, but would be obliged to join the rest in a general laughing
chorus. Whenever Cushman began one of his harangues, he was sure to
draw up a crowd of Indians, who seemed to enjoy the fun as much as
we, although they could not understand a word he said. He usually
wound up by stirring up the fire; and this, blazing up brightly and
throwing off a shower of sparks, would light the old forest, making
the night look blacker in the distance, and showing out in full
relief the dusky, grinning faces of the Indians, with their blankets
drawn around them, standing up just outside the circle where we were
sitting. Cushman was a most capital man for a camp expedition,
always ready, always prompt and good-natured.

"The second morning after our arrival the terms of the treaty were
made known. This was read line by line by General Gibbs, and then
interpreted by Colonel Shaw to the Indians. The provisions of the
treaty were these: They were to be placed on a reservation between
Gray's Harbor and Cape Flattery, and were to be paid forty thousand
dollars in different installments. Four thousand dollars in addition
was also to be paid them, to enable them to clear and fence in land
and cultivate. No spirituous liquors were to be allowed on the
reservation; and any Indian who should be guilty of drinking liquor
would have his or her annuity withheld.

"Schools, carpenters' and blacksmiths' shops were to be furnished by
the United States; also a sawmill, agricultural implements,
teachers, and a doctor. All their slaves were to be free, and none
afterwards to be bought or sold. The Indians, however, were not to
be restricted to the reservation, but were to be allowed to procure
their food as they had always done, and were at liberty at any time
to leave the reservation to trade with or work for the whites.

"After this had all been interpreted to them, they were dismissed
till the next day, in order that they might talk the matter over
together, and have any part explained to them which they did not
understand. The following morning the treaty was again read to them
after a speech from the governor, but although they seemed
satisfied, they did not perfectly comprehend. The difficulty was in
having so many tribes to talk to at the same time, and being obliged
to use the jargon, which at best is a poor medium of conveying
intelligence. The governor requested any one of them that wished, to
reply to him. Several of the chiefs spoke, some in jargon and some
in their own tribal language, which would be interpreted into jargon
by one of their people who was conversant with it; so that, what
with this diversity of tongues, it was difficult to have the subject
properly understood. But their speeches finally resulted in one and
the same thing, which was that they felt proud to have the governor
talk with them; they liked his proposition to buy their land, but
they did not want to go to the reservation. The speech of Narkarty,
one of the Chinook chiefs, will convey the idea they all had. 'When
you first began to speak,' said he to the governor, 'we did not
understand you; it was all dark to us as the night; but now our
hearts are enlightened, and what you say is clear to us as the sun.
We are proud that our Great Father in Washington thinks of us. We
are poor, and can see how much better off the white men are than we
are. We are willing to sell our land, but we do not want to go away
from our homes. Our fathers and mothers and ancestors are buried
there, and by them we wish to bury our dead and be buried ourselves.
We wish, therefore, each to have a place on our own land where we
can live, and you may have the rest; but we can't go to the north
among the other tribes. We are not friends, and if we went together
we should fight, and soon we would all be killed.' This same idea
was expressed by all, and repeated every day. The Indians from the
interior did not want to go on a reservation with the coast or canoe
Indians. The whole together only numbered 843 all told, as may be
seen by the following census, which was taken on the ground:--

Lower Chehalis 217
Upper Chehalis 216
Quenaiults 158
Chinooks 112
Cowlitz 140
---
843

"But though few in numbers, there were among them men possessed of
shrewdness, sense, and great influence. They felt that though they
were few, they were as much entitled to a separate treaty as the
more powerful tribes in the interior. We all reasoned with them to
show the kind intentions of the governor, and how much better off
they would be if they could content themselves to live in one
community; and our appeals were not altogether in vain. Several of
the tribes consented, and were ready to sign the treaty, and of
these the Quenaiults were the most prompt, evidently, however, from
the fact that the proposed reservation included their land, and they
would consequently remain at home.

"I think the governor would have eventually succeeded in inducing
them all to sign, had it not been for the son of Carcowan, the old
Chehalis chief. This young savage, whose name is Tleyuk, and who was
the recognized chief of his tribe, had obtained great influence
among all the coast Indians. He was very willing at first to sign
the treaty, provided the governor would select _his_ land for the
reservation, and make him the grand _Tyee_, or chief, over the whole
five tribes; but when he found he could not effect his purpose, he
changed his behavior, and we soon found his bad influence among the
other Indians, and the meeting broke up that day with marked
symptoms of dissatisfaction. This ill-feeling was increased by old
Carcowan, who smuggled some whiskey into the camp, and made his
appearance before the governor quite intoxicated. He was handed over
to Provost Marshal Cushman, with orders to keep him quiet till he
got sober. The governor was very much incensed at this breach of his
orders, for he had expressly forbidden either whites or Indians
bringing one drop of liquor into the camp.

"The following day Tleyuk stated that he had no faith in anything
the governor said, for he had been told that it was the intention of
the United States government to put them all on board steamers and
send them away out of the country, and that the Americans were not
their friends. He gave the names of several white persons who had
been industrious in circulating these reports to thwart the governor
in his plans, and most all of them had been in the employ of the
Hudson Bay Company. He was assured that there was no truth in the
report, and pretended to be satisfied, but in reality was doing all
in his power to break up the meeting. That evening the governor
called the chiefs into his tent, but to no purpose, for Tleyuk made
some insolent remarks, and peremptorily refused to sign the treaty,
and with his people refused to have anything to do with it. That
night in his camp they behaved in a very disorderly manner, firing
off guns, shouting, and making a great uproar.

"The next morning, when the council was called, the governor gave
Tleyuk a severe reprimand, and, taking from him his paper, which had
been given to show that the government recognized him as chief, he
tore it to pieces before the assemblage. Tleyuk felt this disgrace
very keenly, but said nothing. The paper was to him of great
importance, for they all look on a printed or written document as
possessing some wonderful charm. The governor then informed them
that as all would not sign the treaty it was of no effect, and the
camp was then broken up.

"Throughout the whole of the conference Governor Stevens evinced a
degree of forbearance, and a desire to do everything he could for
the benefit of the Indians. Nothing was done in a hurry. We remained
in the camp a week, and ample time was given them each day to
perfectly understand the views of the governor. The utmost good
feeling prevailed, and every day they were induced to some games of
sport to keep them good humored. Some would have races on the river
in their canoes, others danced, and others gambled; all was friendly
till the last day, when Tleyuk's bad conduct spoiled the whole."

That was an intrepid and resolute act of Governor Stevens, thus to tear up the turbulent chief's commission before his face, surrounded by three hundred and fifty Indians and supported by only fourteen whites; but it effectually cowed the insolent young savage, and preserved the respect of the Indians.

The council was by no means abortive, for in consequence of it the following fall Colonel Simmons obtained the assent and signature of the chiefs of the Quenaiult and Quillehute coast tribes to the treaty so carefully explained to them at the Chehalis council, and it was signed by Governor Stevens at Olympia, January 25, 1856, on his return from the Blackfoot council, and duly confirmed with the other treaties on March 8, 1859. These Indians were given $25,000 in annuities, and $2500 to improve the reservation, the selection of which was left to the President. A reservation of ten thousand acres was set off at the mouth of the Quenaiult River, including their principal village and salmon fishery, renowned as yielding the richest and finest salmon on the coast, a fish of medium size, deep, rich color, and exquisite flavor. The other provisions were the same as those secured to the Sound Indians.

Tah-ho-lah and How-yatl, head chiefs of the two tribes, and twenty-nine other chiefs signed the treaty, and it was witnessed by M.T. Simmons, general Indian agent; H.A. Goldsborough, surveyor; B.F. Shaw, interpreter; James Tilton, surveyor-general; F. Kennedy, J.Y. Miller, and H.D. Cock.

These two tribes numbered four hundred and ninety-three, a number greatly in excess of the census given in Swan's account. In their distrust the Indians invariably reported less than their actual numbers, and nearly every tribe was found to be larger than the first estimate. The numbers of the Chinook, Chehalis, and Cowlitz Indians were reported by Governor Stevens in 1857 as one thousand one hundred and fifteen.

Including the Quenaiults and the Cowlitz, and other Indians not on reservations, they now number some seven hundred, and are in about the same condition as the Sound Indians.[1]

FOOTNOTES:

[1] A census of all the tribes in the Territory, returned with
Governor Stevens's report and map of April 30, 1857, is given
in the Appendix.