Hellgate treaty facts for kids
The Treaty of Hellgate was an important agreement between the United States government and three Native American tribes: the Bitterroot Salish, Upper Pend d'Oreille, and Lower Kutenai people. This treaty was signed at a place called Hellgate on July 16, 1855.
Key people who signed the treaty included Isaac Stevens, who was the superintendent of Indian affairs and governor of Washington Territory. Also signing were Victor, the chief of the Bitterroot Salish; Alexander, the chief of the Pend d'Oreilles; and Michelle, the chief of the Kutenais. Several other tribal leaders also signed. The U.S. Congress later approved the treaty. President James Buchanan signed it, and it was officially announced on April 18, 1859. This treaty led to the creation of the Flathead Indian Reservation.
Why the Treaty Happened
The Salish, Pend d'Oreille, and Kutenai tribes had a way of life that followed the seasons. They would travel across the continental divide each year to hunt bison. These hunts were very dangerous. They often went into areas where the Blackfeet tribe lived, and Blackfeet attacks caused many injuries and deaths.
The Salish people really wanted peace between the tribes. They also wanted to hunt bison on the plains without being attacked. As white fur traders and trappers moved into the Rocky Mountains in what is now Montana, these tribes formed friendships with them. They hoped these new allies would help them against the Blackfeet and other Plains tribes.
So, when Isaac Stevens invited them to a treaty meeting, the tribes were happy. They expected to talk about peace among the tribes. However, Stevens was not very interested in tribal peace. His main goal was to convince the tribes to give up their lands and move to a special area called a reservation.
The Treaty Talks Begin
On July 7, 1855, the tribes met with Stevens at Council Grove. This place is near where Missoula, Montana is today. When the meeting started, the tribal leaders wanted to discuss peace. They asked Stevens to stop white traders from selling guns and bullets to the Blackfeet.
A Pend d'Oreille leader named Nqelʔe (which means "Big Canoe") wondered why they even needed a treaty with the white people. He said, "Talk about treaty, where did I kill you? when did you kill me? What is the reason we are talking about treaties; that is what I said, we are friends, you are not my enemy."
Stevens did not listen to these concerns. Instead, he kept pushing the tribes to give up their lands. In return, he offered them yearly payments. His plans hit a snag when the tribes could not agree on where the reservation should be. The Salish head chief, X͏ʷeɫx̣ƛ̓cín (known as Chief Victor, or "Many Horses"), insisted that his people would not leave their homeland in the Bitterroot Valley. When Stevens got angry and insulted Victor, calling him "an old woman" and "dumb as a dog," Victor walked out of the meeting.
Negotiations started again a few days later. Stevens made a compromise. He added something called Article 11 to the treaty. This article said that the Bitterroot Valley would be surveyed. The president would then use this survey to decide which reservation would be "better adapted to the wants of the Flathead tribe."
The treaty also promised that "no portion of the Bitter Root Valley above the Loo-lo Fork, shall be opened to settlement until such examination is had and the decision of the President made known." Chief Victor believed this promise would protect his people's claim to the Bitterroot Valley. So, he signed the treaty along with the other chiefs on July 16, 1855.
There were also big problems with translation during the talks. It is hard to know how much each side truly understood. Stevens trusted his main translator, Benjamin Kizer, but others doubted Kizer's skills. A Jesuit priest named Father Adrian Hoecken said the translations were so bad that "not a tenth of what was said was understood by either side." He called the whole meeting "a ridiculous tragi-comedy." Many historians believe that these poor translations caused big misunderstandings for the tribal leaders. They might not have fully understood what the treaty would mean for their people.
Based on the treaty, the Native Americans were supposed to give up their lands to the United States government. In return, they would receive payments totaling $120,000. The lands they gave up were huge. They stretched from the main ridge of the Rocky Mountains at the 49th parallel down to the Kootenai River and Clark Fork. From there, the lands went to the divide between the St. Regis River and the Coeur d'Alene River. They also extended to the southwestern fork of the Bitterroot River and up to the Salmon River and Snake River. The treaty officially created the Flathead Indian Reservation. Flathead Lake is in the northeast part of this reservation. Most of the reservation is to the south and west of the lake.
After the Treaty Was Signed
The U.S. Congress was very slow to act. The treaty was not officially approved until March 8, 1859. This long delay in payments made the tribes think the government had broken its promise. When the government finally did start making payments, they came as supplies like blankets, flannel, rice, and coffee. However, much of the money was lost due to dishonest practices and poor management.
Stevens had also made a verbal promise to protect the tribes from the Blackfeet with military help. But this promise was not written into the final treaty. From the point of view of the Salish, Kutenai, and Pend d'Oreille people, this seemed like another broken promise.
The Upper Pend d'Oreille and Lower Kutenai tribes moved to the Flathead Indian Reservation. However, the Salish people continued to live in the Bitterroot Valley. They believed the treaty had guaranteed their right to stay there. But white settlers started moving into the valley much faster during the 1870s and 1880s. This put a lot of pressure on the Salish tribe.
No proper survey was ever done in the Bitterroot Valley, even though Article 11 of the treaty required it. Instead, Stevens sent an Indian agent named R. H. Lansdale to ride through the Bitterroot and Flathead valleys and decide which was better. Stevens told Lansdale to remember that "a large majority of the Indians prefer the Flathead River reservation." Lansdale followed Stevens's orders and said the Flathead reservation would be better.
The Civil War kept the government busy. They did not decide the question of the Bitterroot reservation until 1871. That year, President Ulysses S. Grant issued an order to move the Salish to the Flathead reservation. But Chief Charlo used his diplomatic skills to allow the tribe to stay in the Bitterroot until 1891. By then, economic problems finally forced them to move to the Flathead reservation.
