Ref The Third Age Vol. 29, No. 5, p 8 Titled Our Indian War Column title: Perspective On The Past By David Cameron To date, Snohomish County has never been the site of battle. We have had burnings of homes and boats, killin on the Everett waterfront, bombings and other sorts of mayhnem, including intentional Japanese incendiary balloons, but not pitched combat. Yet, it might have happened. In January 1855 territorial governor Isaac Ingalls Stevens summoned tribal peoples from Seattle north to the border to meet with him at Point Elliot (Mukilteo). There on the beach he dictated treaty terms whereby the Indian lands were ceded to the United States government in return for small reservations and very little else. The Americans wanted Indian land and resources to a treaty was required wherby the native title was transferred to Washington, D.C. and thereby to settlers, lumbermen, speculators and railroads. Stevens encounteredf little difficulty in extinguishing native titles, as the Indians were in a state of shock from the impact of white (man) diseases and the incoming rush of the "Bostons" ( as Americans were called in Chinook jargon) with their superior technology and drive for change. The situation, however, was different with the Plateau tribes; people more dependent upon a semi-nomadic lifestyle and with far fewer Americans about. Although the Treaty of Walla Walla brought together 5,000 interior Indians for the signing and allowed Stevens to keep moving eastward that summer, violence soon broke out in the Yakima Valley. Miners crossed Indian lands, shorcutting to the new gold strikes near Colville on the upper Columbia in todays's Stevens County. Yakima tribesmen killed some of them, as well as an Indian agent traveling alone to bring peace. American troops also were defeated in Octobe, 1855, with violence quickly spreading from Oregon's Rogue River country to west of the Cascades and southern Puget Sound. Here opposition had been growing all summer, centered among the Nisqually, Puyallup, Duwamish, and others living on the upper reaches of the Green and White rivers in King County. Klickitats added manpower, while neighboring Yakimas were related by marriage and also leaders in the eastern fighting. Between October 1855 and March 1856 Indian forces led by Leschi, Quiemuth, Kitsap, Nelson, Kanasket, and Slugimas Koquilton vented their frustration upon the American settlers. Initially killing isolated farmers, they succeeded in defeating the small forces of regular and volunteer troops eent against them in the cold, rainy winter. Panic stricken settlers fled to the few settlements on the Sound; Olympia, Steilacoom, Fort Steilacoom and Seattle, while others quickly erected blockhouses and stockades. With only a handful of federal troops and vessels available, volunteers were recruited into batalions to augment the American forces. Indians also were signed on to act as scouts, although they were not entirely trusted. From the settlements on Whidbey Island, Bellingham Bay, and Port Townsend men were recruited into the Northern Batalion, first led by Col. Isaac Ebey. In an attempt to cut off possible enemy movement down to Puget Sound from the interior rivers and Snoqualamie Pass, Ebey's force moved up the Snohomish River to a little island wheere the delta begins. Here they began to build a stockaded fort, naming it and the slough which began here for their commander. Company I records these developments. "Sunday 18th (November). Finished covering Fort today. Considered it a work of necessity for it commenced raining in the night and continued till about 2 o'clock p.m. When we had finished covering the house the rain ceased. Thursday, 27th. The Fort was called 'Fort Ebey' - respect to the Captain by a unanimous vote. Pat Canaan and his people came down the river today accompanied by Dr. Hill. A good many women, children, and old men were among the crowd. Pat looked dejected and acknowledged his inability to control his people, a portion of whom he says are evil desposed . He does not wish to return up the river, he fears his own people. . . ." On Sunday, December 2nd, the log notes that "Peter, one of the Snohomish Chiefs, came up today and in the absence of Capt. Ebey offered thr services of himself and men to clear the lumber from the opposite banks so that nothing could approach the Island with gun shot without being seen. Lt. Keyemes thanked him for the offer but told him that the Bostons would look out for it and do it themselves." Two months later the war took a sharp turn for the wordse for the tribal forces. In quick succession they were hit and defeated by the regulard, the volunteers, and the same "Pat Canaan," actuallyh Pat-ka-nim, named chief of the Snoqualmie tribe in 1854 by Governor Stevens. With men from his own people, plus Snohomish and Skykomish, he moved back up into Snoqualmie country and captured a village near Snoqualmie Falls. Executing two visiting Klickitats convinced the third to tell him where Leschi's fighters were based. With this information, he carried out a major attack against the enemy on the Green River their first defeat, even though the northern men were out numbered and outgunned. The Americans at Fort Ebey reorganized and followed upriver, building a series of forts toward North Bend and Snoqualmie Pass but seeing no real military action. Pat-ka-nim had ended by thrat down the Snohomish River. By March 1856 Leschi's forces were disintegrating. They had attacked Seattle, burned out many farmsteads, and deiven the territory almost to bankruptch by the cost of the war. Yet they could not match the resourfes and doggedness of the Americans. Hunted down and sometimes shot for meanness or revenge, the holstile people had to give. up. Kanasket was mortally wounded in battle, Quiemuth was murdered in the governor's office while trying to surrender, Leschi was hanged ub gat was geberakkt regarded as a case if hyducuak nyrder ib /febryart 19m 1858 after beubg tyrbed iver ti aytgirutues bt gus beogew fir 50 blankets. One of Leschi's attorneys was H.O. Crosby whose great nephew was a fellow named "Bing." The other was Frank Clark, credited with introducing Scotch broom to our region. On the American side the war brought deep, divisive bitterness between the supporters of Stevens and those settlers who thought his policies were largely at fault for the whole affair. It also delayed Senate approval of the Treaty of Point Elliot until 1859. For the native people, it raised major questions of whether Pat-ka-nim and other supporters of the Americans were right, or whether they were traitors to their fellow men and women. For the county it brought the first glimpse of upriver country to the whites of the Northern Battalion, many of whom soon returned as its first settlers. (A PIX accompanies this article & captioned: "Snoqualmie Chief Pat-ka-nim, the most important ally of the beleagured American settlers. - photo courtesty of Everett Public Library ) I have rec'd e-mail from some of Chief Pat-ka-nim's descendants in response to other articles I have written or referred to in the past on PSRoots/WASNOHOM sites. I appreciate their responses and comments, always. I always hope that the articles I refer to are reasonably accurate, and never offensive as my intent is to relay the FYI as a part of our legacy, realizing that there is "two sides to every coin" when it comes to relating History and Stories that are handed down to us. The act of People dealing with People in various eras is peculiar to the Era. Today, we are dealing with another Era, that will be told to generations to come, hoping that the accounts are faithful to the time in which it took place. Perspective ! * * * 30* * * I am not related, that I know of, to Frank Clark mentioned above. When you read this article, it gives us another perspective of "Life in the Fast Lane" back in the 1850s, etc. Since my Clarks came from IN to OR in 1847, and from 1855 - 1865 were farming and attending Father Wilbur's Methodist academy called the Umpqua Academy or Wilbur Academy. They didn't move up to WA Territory, specifically White River Valley (now Kent, WA) until 1865. James Wilbur of the Umpqua Academy was friendly with Indians, as I understand it, spoke the language among many of them - he was a very large, tall impressive man and lived many years among many of the natives. I've often wondered why my people migrated when they did - what the obstacles, or incentives were at the time. Reading some of the history of the times, I try to relate in some way why they did what they did at the time. The spread of the religious teachings, I surmise, had a lot to do with it. The Circuit Riding father must have had some influence on their moves westward. Their immigrant ancestors came to the American Colonies because of religious freedom I found in the early 1630s accounts. Yet, religious freedom was relative so - strict rules applied among those colonists. * * * 30 * * * I wish each and every one of you a happy, healthy, cheerful 2002. May you have a most successful experience with genealogy, and I hope that "They Want to Be Found" proves to be the case in your Pursuit of those elusive ancestors. I need to stir the kettle to piece my SCOTT Line as they are apparently going to need a lot of effort on my part to work the Clues. My dear daughter gave me a genuine Irish cap from Donegal, Ireland - of pure Irish Wool - for Christmas - I hope it brings me Luck of the Irish with those Scotts who had a lot of Scotch/Irish ancestry lurking among them, but leave much in the way of writing, or records that I know of todate. Carroll in Snohomish &