Chief Charlo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chief Charlo
Charlo, painted by E. S. Paxson
Bitterroot Salish leader
Preceded by	Chief Victor (Many Horses or Plenty-of-Horses)
Personal details
Born	c. 1830
Died	January 10, 1910
Spouse	Margaret
Children	Martin, Ann Felix, and Victor
Parent	Chief Victor (Many Horses or Plenty-of-Horses)
Nickname	(Claw of the Little Grizzly or Small Grizzly-Bear Claw)

Charlo (also known as Charlot) was a respected leader of the Bitterroot Salish people. His name meant "Claw of the Little Grizzly" or "Small Grizzly-Bear Claw." He was the head chief from 1870 until his death in 1910. Charlo always worked for peace with the American settlers in southwestern Montana. He also kept peace with the soldiers at nearby Fort Missoula.

Charlo fought for many years to help his people stay independent. This was especially hard after the buffalo herds, which they relied on, disappeared. When the U.S. government finally forced his people to move, Charlo worked hard. He negotiated with General Henry B. Carrington to get good farms and help for the Bitterroot Salish on the Flathead Indian Reservation. For the rest of his life, Charlo tried to make sure the U.S. government kept its promises. He also defended his people's rights to their reservation land.

Chief Charlo's Early Life

Charlo was born around 1830. This was before any white settlements were built in what is now Montana. His father was Chief Victor, also known as Many Horses. Charlo grew up in the Bitterroot Valley. This was his people's traditional home. Every part of the land had a special story or tribal memory linked to it.

The Bitterroot Salish people traveled often. They went to the plains once or twice a year to hunt buffalo. During Charlo's childhood, his people faced challenges. They were recovering from illnesses like smallpox. They also had conflicts with other tribes. These conflicts had pushed the Salish off the Great Plains in earlier times.

In 1841, Jesuit priests opened St. Mary's Mission in the Bitterroot Valley. It became a center for the tribe's religious and social life. It was also Montana's first lasting white settlement. As Charlo grew up, his people had to work with many groups. They built alliances with tribes to the west. They defended their buffalo hunting rights from other Plains tribes. And they tried to keep peace with the growing number of white settlers.

Charlo married a woman named Margaret. They had three children: Martin, Ann Felix, and Victor.

The Hellgate Treaty's Impact

In 1855, the Hellgate treaty was signed. This treaty greatly shaped Charlo's life and his people's future. It was an agreement between the Salish, Pend d'Oreilles, and Kootenai tribes and the U.S. government. The treaty set up the Flathead Indian Reservation. It also suggested a second reservation in the Bitterroot Valley.

The treaty said the Bitterroot Valley would be surveyed. After the survey, the president would decide which valley was "better adapted" for the Salish. It also promised to keep white settlers out of the Bitterroot Valley until the survey was done.

However, the treaty made the Salish tribe's claim to the Bitterroot Valley weaker. A priest named Adrian Hoecken watched the signing. He felt the treaty was not fair. He wrote that the translator did not do a good job. Because of this, the tribes and the government did not fully understand each other. The U.S. Congress did not approve the treaty until 1859. This left the Salish people in a difficult situation. When the treaty was finally approved, the government did not follow many of its promises. They never fully surveyed the valley. Also, the Civil War distracted the government. So, the question of a Bitterroot Valley reservation was forgotten. The government also failed to keep white settlers out of the Bitterroot Valley, as promised.

Charlo Becomes Chief

Charlo became chief in August 1870. This happened after his father, Chief Victor, passed away. Charlo continued his father's peaceful approach. But he also kept defending his people's right to the Bitterroot Valley. He stood strong against the claims of white settlers.

In 1871, President Ulysses S. Grant ordered the Salish to leave the valley. When Congressman James A. Garfield arrived in 1872 to carry out the order, the land dispute almost turned into a fight. But Charlo and other Salish leaders used their diplomacy to calm things down. Garfield then worked out an agreement. Part of the tribe would move to the Flathead Reservation. The rest could stay in the Bitterroot if they became "land-holding U.S. citizens."

Charlo refused to sign this agreement. He felt it was unfair. To get a signature, government officials recognized another leader, Arlee, as chief. Charlo's signature was then faked on the official document. Arlee led part of the tribe to the Flathead Reservation in 1873. Charlo still refused to leave. He never forgave Arlee or spoke to him again. Most of the Salish people stayed with Charlo in the Bitterroot. Some received special land titles for farms in the valley. They still saw themselves as an independent tribal community. However, the government considered them U.S. citizens who had left their tribal ties.

In 1876, Montana newspapers printed a speech by Charlo. It showed his deep frustration and feeling of betrayal. He spoke about how white settlers had harmed his people. He also spoke about the broken promises of the U.S. military and government.

Moving to the Flathead Reservation

Charlo successfully protected his people's claim to the Bitterroot Valley. This was possible as long as they could hunt buffalo east of the Continental Divide. But the buffalo herds were destroyed in the 1870s and 1880s. This greatly hurt the Salish economy. It forced them to expand their farms and herds. In 1889, a severe drought caused great hardship. The people were almost starving.

As the tribe's situation became desperate, Charlo began to think about the U.S. government's offer. This offer was for land on the Flathead Reservation. At the same time, Congress passed a law. It allowed the sale of Salish land in the Bitterroot. The money from these sales would go to the Salish owners. Or the government would spend it for them. Then, the people would move to the Flathead Reservation.

Negotiating the Move

In October 1889, retired General Henry B. Carrington came to Montana. His goal was to negotiate with Charlo. He wanted to convince Charlo to sign an agreement. This agreement would allow the sale of his land in the Bitterroot. Charlo's signature would show that the Bitterroot Salish were willing to leave their homeland.

Carrington tried to earn Charlo's trust. He visited Charlo at his farm before negotiations. He gave him gifts like cigars and food. When negotiations started, Carrington showed Charlo the original 1872 Garfield agreement. This proved Charlo's claim that he never signed it.

Despite Carrington's efforts, Charlo first refused to move. He said he would "never sign" the agreement. Charlo reminded Carrington of the government's broken promises from the Hellgate treaty. He asked for that treaty to be fully honored. But Carrington did not respond to this request. Charlo stressed that his people had remained friendly to white settlers. This was true even with all the broken promises. Carrington argued that Charlo needed to move to stop young Salish men from gambling and stealing. Charlo promised to think about Carrington's offer all night. Later that day, some young Salish men started a fight. Charlo had to break it up and punish them.

The next day, November 3, was Sunday. Charlo attended Mass. Afterward, he went to Carrington's office. There, he spoke about the poverty of his people. He mentioned elderly men and women who could not help themselves. He said young men would "hunt and sell their game for fire-water." He added that he could not stop it. He also said they "followed the words of bad white men and stole what they wanted to eat."

After this speech, Charlo signed the agreement. He said, "The Great Spirit said to me last night, 'Trust the white Chief.' Charlot loves his people! Charlot will change and do right! Charlot will sign the paper, and then, the white chief can write down what Charlot wants." In return, Carrington made promises. The Salish would get food until they moved. Their burial places near St. Mary's Mission would be protected. They would receive good cabins on the Flathead Reservation. Each family with children would get a cow. And Charlo would receive new wagons and the farm of the late Chief Arlee.

The Difficult Journey

Carrington promised Charlo he would return in the spring of 1890. He would arrange the land sales and the move. But Congress did not provide money for the move until July 1, 1891. Charlo and his people had counted on Carrington's promise. So, they did not plant crops on their Bitterroot farms that spring. They were also too poor to buy seeds due to the 1889 drought. The government had promised help, but they only gave very small amounts of food. By the winter of 1890, Charlo's people had to trade their horses, plows, and even stoves for food. When Carrington finally returned on July 29, 1891, Charlo insisted, "I will talk no business, until [my] people are fed."

Selling the Salish land in the Bitterroot took longer than Carrington had promised. After a meeting on October 11, 1891, the Salish decided to move anyway. Their farms were still unsold. Charlo told Carrington the news that afternoon:

I could not sleep at first, last night. I remember my father Victor and that his people expected me to do what he would approve, for their good. I told everybody to come together in the morning as soon as the sun was up to say prayers to the Great Spirit. That made me feel better, and I could go to sleep. Then, the Great Spirit gave me these thoughts. "Charlot, go with your people. They will starve, or freeze here. Nobody will buy your land if you stay. Go and pick out good land and build houses before winter. Shut your ears to lies which bad people tell you." So I come, to say, we will all go, and go together. We don't want any soldiers with us, or any other whitemen except White Chief [Carrington] and Joe McLaren.

Charlo planned the march himself. He insisted it happen without white military escorts. However, Salish oral histories say that troops were present during the move. On October 15, 1891, Charlo called his people to gather. After praying, they announced they would go. Charlo did not look back. Elders later remembered the journey as a sad funeral march. It took three days to travel the sixty miles to the Jocko Agency. Agent Peter Ronan welcomed them with a feast. After a twenty-year struggle, Charlo had ensured his people's survival. But it came at the cost of their independence.

Life on the Reservation

After arriving at the Flathead Indian Reservation, Charlo spent much time trying to get the promises fulfilled. Carrington had promised Charlo the farm of Chief Arlee. But Arlee had left it to his granddaughter. Instead, Charlo accepted the Jocko Agency farm. The Salish had been promised help with fencing and plowing their new farms. Each family with children was promised a cow. But even though agent Peter Ronan asked for money to fulfill these promises, it was never given.

Charlo also expected his people to receive food until their Bitterroot land was sold. But when Ronan ran out of beef for rations, the government was slow to provide more. Charlo felt betrayed by these broken promises. Agent Ronan said, "I have no complaint to make against Chief Charlot—he is a just and agreeable man, but is a believer in the fulfillment of promises."

An article about Charlo appeared in the Anaconda Standard in 1896. It described his feelings: "Charlot feels that he and his people were deeply injured by these officials [government negotiators]. He has never forgiven the white race for this injury. It is doubtless true that some of the promises made by General Carrington at the time the transfer was made have never been fulfilled. The grouty old chief has some reason for his hostility."

In 1904, Montana's Congressman Joseph M. Dixon proposed a bill. It would open the Flathead Reservation to homesteading (allowing settlers to claim land). Charlo fought against opening the reservation until his death in 1910.

Death and Legacy

Charlo passed away on January 10, 1910. His son, Victor, became chief after him. The town of Charlo, Montana, and Chief Charlo Elementary School in Missoula, Montana, are named in his honor.