Swan Valley Massacre of 1908 facts for kids
The Swan Valley Massacre was a sad event that happened in 1908. Four Pend d'Oreilles Native Americans, who were part of a hunting group, were killed. A state game warden and his deputy shot them in the Swan Valley in northwestern Montana. The state of Montana did not respect hunting permits that allowed hunting outside of reservations. However, these hunting rights were part of a federal treaty. The game warden met the Pend d'Oreilles group, and a gunfight started.
What Happened Before?
The Bitterroot Salish (also called Flathead) and Pend d’Oreille (also called Kalispel) tribes lived in the Rocky Mountains region of the Western United States. Their traditional home was around Flathead Lake. They hunted and gathered food as part of their way of life. The Salish tribe sometimes fought with the Blackfeet and Shoshone tribes.
In the late 1700s, Europeans started trading furs. Many Salish and Pend d’Oreille people became involved in trapping and trading furs. In 1805, the Lewis and Clark explorers visited the Salish. They traded gifts and horses with them.
In the early 1800s, Jesuit Catholic missionaries came to live with the Salish in the Bitterroot Valley. They wanted to teach the Native Americans about their religion and built a church. Later, in 1855, Governor Isaac Stevens of Washington Territory met with the Salish, Pend d’Oreille, and Ksanka Band of Kootenai tribes. They signed the Hellgate Treaty. This treaty created a reservation for these tribes and formed a peaceful group of them.
The Conflict Begins
The 1855 treaty said that the tribes could still hunt, gather, and fish in their traditional lands. Some of these lands were outside the reservation. But after Montana became a state in 1889, it made its own hunting and fishing rules. State game wardens were supposed to make sure these rules were followed. Only the federal government had power inside the reservation. However, Montana state officials thought they could make rules for Native Americans outside the reservation too.
In September 1908, a group of eight Pend d’Oreille people went into the Swan Valley. This area was an old hunting ground on the east side of the Mission Mountain range. The group included Atwen Scwi, his wife, son, and daughter; Little Camille Paul and his pregnant wife; and two elders, Mary and her husband Martin Yellow Mountain. Before they left the reservation, they bought state hunting permits. They did this to avoid problems, even though the Hellgate Treaty said they didn't need them. Martin Yellow Mountain also got permission for the trip from the Indian agent in Arlee.
In October, after the hunting group had been camping for a few weeks, a state game warden named Charles Peyton arrived. He came with some local deputies. They visited the camp three times to check on the group. Peyton asked for their hunting licenses and bothered the group. The next day, Peyton returned with his guns ready. He told the Pend d'Oreille people to leave by the next morning. To avoid trouble, the group decided to move and started packing their camp.
The next day, the group was delayed because two of their horses had wandered off. They were still trying to pack and get ready to leave when Peyton arrived again. This time, he was with his deputy, Herman Rudolph.
The Tragic Shooting
Peyton shot Camille Paul and Atwen, who were the two leaders of the group. They could not reach their guns in time. When Yellow Mountain tried to get his weapon, Peyton shot him too. As the women ran towards the edge of the clearing, Peyton chased them. Atwen’s son, Peh-lah-so-weh, found a gun and shot Peyton in the stomach. At the same moment, the warden’s deputy, Herman Rudolph, shot Peh-lah-so-weh, killing him almost right away.
The women were trying to help the injured and dying members of their group. Peyton started to get up. Camille’s wife, Clarice, was afraid that Peyton would try to kill the rest of them. She grabbed her husband's rifle from under his body and shot Peyton twice, killing him.
Clarice was six months pregnant, but she rode to another Pend d’Oreille camp to get help. When she arrived, a group led by Many Names (Louie Mollman) took her in and cared for her. The next day, when Many Names’ group returned to get the bodies, they met a group of non-Native American men. The Many Names warriors decided not to fight them.
What Happened After
Herman Rudolph, the deputy, was supposed to appear before a county coroner. But he left the area and was never charged with anything. The Pend d'Oreille people buried their four dead family members at the St. Ignatius Catholic cemetery.
Clarice later gave birth to her son and named him John Peter Paul. He grew up telling the story of his mother and their hunting group for many years. After this event, the tribe hunted less often outside the reservation. They were worried about similar attacks happening again.
