An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 23

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company
Number of Pages: 1146

USA > Washington > Kittitas County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 23
USA > Washington > Yakima County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 23
USA > Washington > Klickitat County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 23

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

THE YAKIMA WAR.

those treaties," said he, "and no cause of war exists. "

Such maudlin sentimentality, such shameful truckling with the enemies of those it was Wright's duty to defend, seemed akin to treason. Indignant and hurt, Governor Stevens wrote to the secretary of war: "It seems to me that we have in this territory fallen upon evil times. I

hope and trust that some energetic action may be taken to stop this trifling with great public inter- ests, and to make our flag respected by the Indians of the interior. They scorn our people and our flag. They feel that they can kill and plunder with impunity. They denominate us a nation of old women. They did not do this when the volunteers were in the field. I now make the direct issue with Colonel Wright, that he has made a concession to the Indians which he had no authority to make; that by so doing he has done nothing but get a semblance of peace; and that by his acts, he has in a measure weakened the influence of the service having the authority to make treaties and having charge of the friendly Indians. He has, in my judgment, abandoned his own duty, which was to reduce the Indians to submission, and has trenched upon and usurped a portion of mine."

The citizens of the two territories, Oregon and Washington, were thrown into a furor of indig- nation by the conclusion of his shameful peace. The sacrifice of money and effort in equipping the volunteers. the sacrifices of the volunteers themselves, the traversing of dusty plains, the scaling of lofty and forbidding mountains, the sufferings of that dread winter campaign in the Walla Walla valley, the loss of life and limb, the brilliant and well-deserved victories of the vol- unteer arms-all these were for nothing. The regular officers step in and rob the country of all the fruits of victory, concede to the Indians every- thing they could ask, and then, to add insult to injury, General Wool says he hopes that Wright "warned by what has occurred, will be on his guard against the whites and prevent trouble by keeping the whites out of the Indian country,' and that under the existing arrangements he doesn't "believe that the war can be renewed by the whites."

Elwood Evans, who was himself a citizen of Washington territory at the time and a participant in some of its public events, may be assumed to have correctly summarized the general opinion of the people in the following paragraphs from his history of the Northwest:

"That quasi peace was but the proclaimed continuance of the assurance by the United States army officers to the hostile Indians, 'we came not into your country to fight, but merely to establish posts.' It now officially announced the close of a war by General Wool, which he had never commenced to prosecute as war. It was but the unblushing publication of a policy

inspired alone by him, and executed under his orders by officers whom he had handicapped in the enemy's country by instructions, the obser- vance of which was but the triumph of Kamia- kin. It was the official, humiliating concession to the hostiles of everything that they had de- manded, or had inaugurated a war to accom- plish, viz., the keeping of white settlers out of their country-save alone the isolated fact, that the Indians had made no resistance to or protest against the establishment of military posts within their territory. That failure to protest against the erection of posts was the only evidence of passive submission by the hostiles; yet with what avidity was the fact seized by General Wool to assure him that he was occupying the Indian territory by his troops, and that those troops were remaining there in peaceable possession ! What a naked and barren victory, which proved too much; for it meant nothing except that armed troops within fortified posts were the only white men who could occupy such country. It too palpably demonstrated a suspension of hostil- ities patched up by appealing to the Indian : 'Let my troops stay here; and I will protect you and keep out the white settler.'

"General Wool, in the execution of this plan of campaign by his army of occupation, not for making war, had effectually accomplished the aim of Kamiakin in the instigation of the out- break. The commanding general had avowed upon several occasions his policy of protecting the hostile Indians against the whites, and of expelling them from and keeping them out of the country. In fact, there appears to have been a common object actuating both Kamiakin - and General Wool: Both were equally deter- mined that the whites should not settle in nor occupy the country of Kamiakin or Peo-peo-mox- mox; both were equally hostile to the volunteers of the two territories, who sought to save the country for white settlement; both were averse to any hostile demonstrations against the Indians; both were willing that Governor Stevens should be cut off and his party sacri- ficed, when official duty compelled his pres- ence in the Indian territory; both alike cordially hated the people of the two territories. Could Kamiakin have asked more than the performance of Wool's orders ?- 'Leave a company and a how- itzer to protect the Cayuse Indians against the * volunteers. ' * * 'Warn Colonel Shaw and his volunteers to leave the country; and should they fail to comply, arrest, disarm and send them out.' How it must have delighted old Kamiakin when he had interpreted to him that interdict against white settlement: 'No emigrant or other white person will be permitted to settle or remain in the Indian country.' Glorious duty for American troops to protect the blood-stained murderers of our people, to stand guard that the spirit of treaties shall be violated, that Ameri-

CENTRAL WASHINGTON.

cans may not occupy America and every part of its domain !"

The regulars soon discovered that they had been crying "peace, peace, when there was no peace, "for it was not long until there began to be apprehensions of a renewed outbreak. These conditions obtained throughout the entire year 1857 and during the winter of that year the Cath- olic fathers reported that they feared an uprising in the spring. The Spokanes and Coeur d'Alenes, among whom the emissaries of Kamiakin had been spreading disaffection ever since the peace had been patched up in 1856, announced that the soldiers must not show themselves in their coun- try. It was the scheme of the wily Kamiakin to first unite the tribes in opposition to the whites, then draw a detachment of soldiers into the country and treat them as he treated Haller in the Yakima valley.

The plan worked admirably. He culti- vated the friendship of Tilcoax, a skilled Palouse horse-thief, and induced him to organize a pillag- ing expedition against the stock belonging to Fort Walla Walla, well knowing that sooner or later a counter expedition must be made by the soldiers to recover the lost animals. He also caused the murder of Colville miners, hoping that the whites there would ask for troops They did call for troops. Their petition could not be disregarded, and in May, 1858, Colonel E. J. Steptoe set out to the Colville country, disre- garding the warnings of the Indians that no whites would be allowed to travel through their lands. Steptoe, or more strictly speaking, his subordinates, committed a most egregious and · incomprehensible blunder in starting from Walla Walla. On account of the great weight of pro- visions and baggage, a brilliant quartermaster conceived the idea of leaving behind the greater part of the ammunition, by way of lightening the load. As Joseph McEvoy expresses it, the force was beaten before it left Walla Walla.

The expedition was made in May. The wild torrent of Snake river was running bank full from the floods of summer as the command crossed. Timothy, a chief of the Nez Perces, with a few followers, was living then at the mouth of the Alpowa, and by his efficient aid the soldiers crossed the stream in good order and good time, and continued on their way, the brave old chief accompanying them.

On May 16th the force reached a place which George F. Canis, on the authority of Thomas B. Beall, chief government packer of the expedi- tion, describes as low and marshy, with big swales and thickets of quaking asp abounding, and surrounded by hills without timber. Mr. Beall locates the place as near the present town of Spangle. There is, however, much differ- ence of opinion among the survivors as to where all this happened. But wherever it was, there the Indians gathered with hostile intention.

Steptoe, realizing the dangerous odds, decided to return.

The next day, as the soldiers were descending a canyon to Pine creek, not far from where Rosalia is now located, Salteese, sub-chief of the Coeur d'Alenes, came up with an interpreter for a conference with Steptoe. The chief was mak- ing great professions of friendship, when one of the friendly Nez Perces struck him over the head with a whip, nearly knocking him from his horse. "What do you mean by speaking with a forked tongue to the white chief?" demanded the Nez Perce brave. Salteese, very angry, rode away in defiant mood. No sooner were the retreating forces well in the canyon than the attack was made. Second-Lieutenant William Gaston's forces were the first to draw the fire of the enemy. Steptoe ordered Gaston to hold fire. When again asked for orders he gave the same command, but Gaston disobeyed and soon the firing became general. Gaston and Captain O. H. P. Taylor were in command of the rear guard, and, with amazing courage and devotion, kept the line intact, foiling all efforts of the Indi- ans to rush through. They sent word to Steptoe to halt and give them a chance to secure more ammunition. But Steptoe deemed it safer to make no pause, and soon after those gallant heroes fell. A fierce fight raged for possession of their bodies. The Indians secured that of Gaston, but a small band of heroes, fighting like demons, got the body of the noble Taylor. One notable figure in this death grapple was De May, a Frenchman, who had been trained in the Crimea and in Algeria, and who made havoc among the Indians with his gun-barrel used as a saber, but at last he, too, went down before numbers, crying, "Oh, my God, for a saber!"

At nightfall they had reached a point as to the exact location of which there is much differ- ence of opinion. Here the disorganized and suffering force made camp, threw out a picket line for defense, and buried such dead as they had not been forced to leave. In order to divert the Indians they determined, having buried their howitzers, to leave the balance of their stores. They hoped that if the Indians made an attack in the night they might succeed in stealing away. The Indians, however, feeling sure that they had the soldiers at their mercy, made no effort at a night attack. But it is stated that Kamiakin, head chief of the Yakimas, urged them to do so. Had he carried his point, the night of May 17, 1858, would have been one of melancholy mem- ory. Another massacre would have been added to the series of frontier outrages which have darkened our earlier annals.

There was but one chance of salvation, and this was by means of a difficult trail which the Indians had left unguarded, as the Nez Perce chief, Timothy, discovered by reconnoitering, the savages rightly supposing it to be entirely

THE YAKIMA WAR.

unknown to the whites. But by the good favor of fortune or Providence, Timothy knew this pass. But for him the next day would doubtless have witnessed a grim and ghastly massacre. During the dark and cloudy night, the soldiers, mounted and in silence, followed Timothy over the wretched trail. Michael Kinney, a well- known resident of Walla Walla, was in charge of the rear guard, and is our chief authority for some portions of this narrative.

The horrors of that night retreat were proba- bly never surpassed in the history of Indian war- fare in the Northwest. Several of the wounded were lashed to pack animals, and were thus led away on that dreadful ride. Their sufferings were intense, and two of them, McCrossen and Williams, suffered so unendurably that they writhed themselves loose from their lashings and fell to the ground, begging their comrades to leave some weapons with which they might kill themselves. But the poor wretches were left lying there in the darkness. During the night the troops followed, generally at a gallop, the faithful Timothy, on whose keen eyes and mind their lives depended. The wounded and a few whose horses gave out were scattered at inter- vals along the trail. Some of these finally reap- peared, but inost were lost. After twenty-four hours the troops found that they had reached Snake river. Here the unwearied Timothy threw out his own people as guards against the pursuing enemy and set the women of his tribe to ferry the force across the turbulent river. This was safely accomplished, and thus the greater portion of the command reached Walla Walla in safety from that ill-starred expedition.

A dramatic incident whichi occurred on the evening of May 20th merits a brief narration. While the horses were being picketed and prep- arations were in progress for the night, the guards noticed a cloud of dust in the distance. In a short time a band of mounted Indians, approaching at full gallop, came into view, and the clattering of the hoofs of their horses and the thick dust enveloping them gave the impression that the little band of soldiers, which had had such trying experiences and now seemed within reach of safety, was to be literally wiped from the face of the earth. Excitement ran high. The soldiers became greatly agitated, and orders to prepare for battle were about to be issued when the standard bearer of the oncom- ing horde, noting the confusion and mistrusting its cause, flung the stars and stripes to the breeze in token of friendly intentions. When the Indi- ans swarmed into camp it was found that the banner was borne by none other than the ever- faithful Chief Lawyer. In the party were some of the sub-chiefs from Kamiah and noted mem- - bers of the Nez Perce tribe. Steptoe declined to return to the contest with the hostiles, much to the disappointment of Lawyer, who clearly

pointed out how Indian allies could be secured and an easy victory won over the confident and exulting Indians of the Palouse country. The Nez Perces had, no doubt, learned of the defeat of Steptoe by means of the wonderful system of signaling in vogue among the aborigines.

The sequel of Steptoe's defeat furnished a more creditable chapter in the history of our Indian warfare. General Clarke at once ordered Colonel Wright to equip a force of six hundred men, proceed to the Spokane country and casti- gate the Indians with sufficient severity to settle the question of sovereignty forever. On Angust 15th Colonel Wright left Walla Walla on his northern campaign. In the battle of Four Lakes, fought on September Ist, and in the battle of Spokane Plains, September 5th, he broke forever the spirit and power of the northern Indians. Lieutenant Kip's description of the former fight is so picturesque that we cannot resist the temptation to reproduce it. He says:

"On the plain below us we saw the enemy. Every spot seemed alive with the wild warriors we had come so far to meet. They were in the pines at the edge of the lakes, in the ravines and gullies, on the opposite hillsides and swarming over the plains. They seemed to cover the country for two miles. Mounted on their fleet, hardy horses, the crowd swept back and forth, brandishing their weapons, shouting their war cries and keeping up a song of defiance. Most of them were armed with Hudson's Bay muskets, while others had bows and arrows and long lances. They were in all the bravery of their war array, gaudily painted and decorated with their wild trappings. Their plumes fluttered above them, while beneath skins and trinkets and all kinds of fantastic embellishments flaunted in the sunshine. Their horses, too, were arrayed in the most gorgeous finery. Some of them were even painted with colors to form the greatest contrast, the white being smeared with crimson in fantastic figures, and the dark-colored streaked with white clay. Beads and fringes of gaudy colors were hanging from their bridles, while the plumes of eagles' feathers, interwoven with the inane and tail, fluttered as the breeze floated over them, and completed their wild and fantastic appearance.

" 'By Heavens ! it was a glorious sight to see The gay array of their wild chivalry.'

"As ordered, the troops moved down the hill toward the plain. As the line of advance came within range of the Minie rifles, now for the first time used in Indian warfare, the firing began. The firing grew heavier as the line advanced, and, astonished at the range and effectiveness of the fire, the entire array of dusky warriors broke and fled toward the plain. The dragoons were now ordered to charge, and rode through the company at intervals to the front, and then

CENTRAL WASHINGTON.

dashed down upon the foe with headlong speed. Taylor's and Gaston's companies were there and soon they reaped a red revenge for their slain heroes. The flying warriors streamed out of the glens and ravines and over the open plains until they could find a refuge from the flashing sabers of the dragoons. When they had found the refuge of the wooded hills, the line of foot once more passed the dragoons and renewed the fire, driving the Indians over the hills for about two miles, where a halt was called, as the troops were nearly exhausted. The Indians had almost all disappeared, only a small group remaining, apparently to watch the whites. A shell sent from the howitzer, bursting over their heads, sent them also to the shelter of the ravines. Thus the battle ended."

In the battle four days later on Spokane Plains quite a number of the Indians were killed, and Kamiakin, the war chief of the Yakimas, was wounded. After resting a day the forces moved on up the river and encamped above the falls. While there they were visited by Chief Gearry, a fairly well educated, rather bright Indian, who professed to be against the war. There is reason to doubt the sincerity of these representations, however. Colonel Wright talked plainly to him, saying that if he and the other Indians wanted peace they could have it by complete and unconditional surrender. On the 8th the march was resumed. About ten miles east of Spokane, Indians were seen in the act of driving their horses to the mountains. The horses were captured and shot, with the exception of one hundred and thirty picked ones, which were kept for the use of the troops. Defeat in battle, the loss of their horses and the execution of a few Indians who had participated in murders completely humiliated the hostile tribes. Councils were held by Colonel Wright at the Coeur d'Alene mission and with the Spo- kanes, at which it was found that the Indians were prepared to enter a treaty of entire submis- sion to the whites.

In closing his extensive report of this cam- paign, Colonel Wright summarized its results as follows:

"The war is closed. Peace is restored with the Spokanes, Coeur d'Alenes and Palouses. After a vigorous campaign, the Indians have been entirely subdued, and were most happy to accept such terms of peace as I might dictate. Results: (1) Two battles were fought by the

troops under my command, against the combined forces of the Spokanes, Coeur d'Alenes and Palouses, in both of which the Indians were sig- nally defeated, with a severe loss of chiefs and warriors, either killed or wounded. (2) One thousand horses and a large number of cattle were captured from the hostile Indians, all of which were either killed or appropriated to the service of the United States. (3) Many barns filled with wheat or oats, also several fields of grain, with numerous caches of vegetables, dried berries and camas, were destroyed, or used by the troops. (4) The Yakima chief, Owhi, is in irons, and the notorious war chief, Qalchen, was hanged. The murderers of the miners, the cattle stealers, etc. (in all, eleven Indians), were hanged. (5) The Spokanes, Coeur d'Alenes and Palouses have been entirely subdued, and have sued most abjectly for peace on any terms. (6) Treaties have been made with the above-named nations. They have restored all property which was in their possession, belonging either to the United States or to individuals. They have promised that all white people can travel through their country unmolested, and that no hostile Indians shall be allowed to pass through or remain among them. (7) The Indians who com- menced the battle with Lieutenant-Colonel Step- toe contrary to the orders of their chief have been delivered to the officer in command of the United States troops. (8) One chief and four men, with their families, from each of the above- named tribes, have been delivered to the officer in command of the United States troops, to be taken to Fort Walla Walla and held as hostages for the future good conduct of their respective nations. (9) The two mounted howitzers, aban- doned by the troops under Lieutenant-Colonel Steptoe, have been recovered."

Thus ended the Indian wars of the fifties in Oregon and Washington. The era of robberies, depredations, murders and warfare was by this campaign effectually brought to a close in the Yakima and Walla Walla countries, making the opening of both to settlement possible. General Newman S. Clarke, who had succeeded General Wool in the command of the Department of the Pacific, and who, in the earlier days of his admin- istration, had shown a disposition to inaugurate a similar policy, had completely changed front, even going so far as to recommend the confirma- tion of Governor Stevens' Walla Walla treaties. These treaties were confirmed.

Copyrighted by Kiser Bros., Portland, Oregon.

THE DALLES OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER. COLUMBIA RIVER AT LYLE.

PART II. HISTORY OF KLICKITAT COUNTY

CHAPTER I.

GENERAL-1859-1889.

Although the territory now known as Klickitat seems to have been equal in the favorableness of its situation to the Oregon country across the river, no permanent settlers came into it for a number of years after the first pioneers had taken possession of the south shore of the Columbia. The centers of settlement had been established during the days of the Hudson's Bay Company and the missionaries, and naturally the later comers gathered around them, seeking new fields to con- quer only when the older ones had become par- tially subdued. The original settlement in what is now Washington state, aside from Hudson's Bay Company's posts, had been blotted out by the terrible Whitman massacre and the war grow- ing out of it, and when the Walla Walla country began to recover from the shock of this dreadful tragedy, the war of 1855-56 came on, furnishing an excuse for General Wool's military order remanding to barbarisın all of eastern Washing- ton. The order remained in force until the fall of 1858, when Wool's successor, General Clarke, rescinded it.

In 1856 the government commenced the con- struction of a military road across the Simcoe range to Fort Simcoe, on the Yakima reservation, and during the summer of that year a small forti- fication was erected on Spring creek, seven miles northwest of Goldendale, and garrisoned with a troop of United States cavalry. This little fort, known as the blockhouse, was a log structure surrounded by an eight-foot stockade. The building still stands to mark the location but the stockade has long since been removed. The early settlers say that this building when first seen by

them showed plainly the marks of bullets fired by the Indians in skirmishes with the soldiers. In 1860 the troops were removed.

The first immigrants began to arrive in the valley late in the fifties. It was a beautiful coun- try then, covered everywhere with rich, luxuri- ant bunch grass, a cattleman's paradise. From the hills along the Columbia to the foot of the timber-covered Simcoe range stretched one immense undivided pasture field. Now a thous- and fences separate that same area into numerous fine grain farms which furnish homes for many prosperous people. The pioneer's judgment in selecting Klickitat as a home has surely been justified by the subsequent development. It pos- sesses all the advantages an agricultural country needs and few drawbacks.

The surrounding country was as yet unsettled and there was no demand for farm produce and no means of transporting the same to market. Anyway the pioneer settlers were stockmen. The country was by nature suited to this enterprise, as abundance of natural grass grew everywhere, furnishing feed sufficient for winter and summer alike, unless the winters proved unusually severe. As a general rule the winters were so mild that the cattle did well without any other feed than the native grass, which grew rich and abundant everywhere in the valley and on the hillsides. As large herds of cattle could be raised and fat- tened ready for slaughter at almost nominal expense, the rearing of stock was a decidedly profitable business. Another advantage in the enterprise was that stock could be transported readily overland to the market, while any other

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An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 23

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1904 Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company Number of Pages: 1146

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company
Number of Pages: 1146