Quinault Treaty facts for kids

The Quinault Treaty (also known as the Quinault River Treaty or the Treaty of Olympia) was an important agreement. It was made between the United States government and the Native American Quinault and Quileute tribes. These tribes lived in the western part of the Olympic Peninsula in what was then the new Washington Territory.

The treaty was first signed on July 1, 1855, near the Quinault River. It was signed again on January 25, 1856, in Olympia, which was the capital of the territory. The U.S. Congress officially approved it on March 8, 1859. It became law on April 11, 1859.

Key people who signed the treaty included Isaac Stevens. He was the superintendent of Native American affairs and the governor of Washington Territory. Representatives from the Quinault and Quileute tribes also signed. The Hoh tribe, who were seen as part of the Quileute, also had representatives.

The Quinault Indian Reservation was created because of this treaty. Some of the Native American leaders who signed were Quinault Head Chief Taholah and Sub-chiefs Wah-kee-nah, Yer-ay-let'l, and Kne-she-guartsh. From the Quileute, Head Chief How-yat'l and Sub-chiefs Kal-lape and Tah-ah-ha-wht'l also signed, along with other tribal members.

Why the Treaty Was Made

The Quinault Treaty was one of the last agreements signed during the first ten years of Washington Territory. Isaac Stevens, the first governor, had a main goal: to get land from Native American tribes. He negotiated several similar treaties in the 1850s. These included the Treaty of Medicine Creek, Treaty of Hellgate, Treaty of Neah Bay, Treaty of Point Elliott, and the Point No Point Treaty.

Governor Stevens often tried to gather different tribes together. This meant tribes sometimes had to move far from their traditional homes. The Quinault Treaty created the Quinault Reservation in the Quinault homeland. However, it also asked the Quileute and Hoh tribes to move there. Many of them chose not to move.

How the Treaty Was Discussed

The discussions for the treaty happened using Chinook Jargon. This was a simple trade language used along the Pacific Northwest coast. However, it had a small vocabulary of about 500 words. This made it hard to discuss complex ideas or sensitive topics accurately.

The final treaty had 13 main parts, called articles.

• Article One described the land that the tribes would give to the United States. This land stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the Olympic Mountains. The exact borders were a bit unclear. This vagueness caused confusion and legal issues later on.
• Article Two explained how the new reservation would be set up. It stated that the tribes would need to move there.
• Article Three was very important. It promised the tribes the right to fish "in all usual and accustomed grounds and stations." This meant they could fish in their traditional spots, just like other citizens. It also protected their rights to hunt, gather plants, and let their horses graze.
• Article Four stated that the United States would pay $25,000 for the land. This money would be paid over several years.
• Article Five added $2,500 to help the tribes move and settle on the reservation.
• Article Six gave the U.S. president the power to create new reservations or combine tribes onto other reservations in the future. It also allowed the president to divide the reservation land into individual lots for families.
• Article Eight required the tribes to "acknowledge their dependence on the United States." It also briefly explained how crimes would be handled.
• Article Ten promised that the United States would create and support a school for 20 years. This school would teach farming and other skills to tribal children for free. It would be located at the main government agency in Puget Sound. A doctor would also be provided there.
• Article Eleven required the tribes to free any enslaved people they held.
• Article Thirteen prevented the tribes from trading outside the United States. It also said they could not allow "foreign Indians" to live on the reservation.
• The last article stated that the treaty would become official once the President and Senate approved it.

What Happened After the Treaty

Even though the treaty asked them to, most of the Quileute and Hoh tribes did not move to the Quinault Reservation. Instead, both tribes later received their own smaller reservations.

The Hoh Reservation was created by President Grover Cleveland on September 11, 1893. This reservation is about 443 acres (1.8 square kilometers) in size. It includes about one mile of the Pacific coastline south of the Hoh River.