The Treaty of Hellgate created the Flathead Indian Reservation, formally defining the territory of the Bitterroot Salish, Pend d'Oreilles, and Kutenai tribes.
Key Facts
- Date Signed
- 16 July 1855
- Date Proclaimed
- 18 April 1859
- Tribes Party to Treaty
- Bitterroot Salish, Upper Pend d'Oreille, Lower Kutenai
- Reservation Established
- Flathead Indian Reservation
- U.S. Signatory
- Isaac Stevens, Governor of Washington Territory
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
As the United States expanded settlement into the Pacific Northwest in the mid-nineteenth century, federal policy sought to negotiate land cessions with Native tribes in Washington Territory. Isaac Stevens, serving as both governor and superintendent of Indian affairs, was tasked with securing treaties that would open tribal lands to settlers while confining tribes to defined reservations.
On 16 July 1855, representatives of the United States and the Bitterroot Salish, Upper Pend d'Oreille, and Lower Kutenai tribes gathered at Hellgate to sign the treaty. Chief Victor of the Bitterroot Salish, Chief Alexander of the Pend d'Oreilles, and Chief Michelle of the Kutenais signed alongside Stevens and several subchiefs, formally agreeing to the terms of land use and tribal territory.
The treaty was ratified by Congress and proclaimed by President James Buchanan on 18 April 1859. Its most lasting effect was the establishment of the Flathead Indian Reservation, which concentrated the signatory tribes on a defined tract of land and marked a significant reduction in their traditional territorial control across the region.
Political Outcome
Established the Flathead Indian Reservation and defined tribal land rights for the Bitterroot Salish, Upper Pend d'Oreille, and Lower Kutenai tribes.
Bitterroot Salish, Pend d'Oreille, and Kutenai tribes held traditional territorial control over the region
Tribes confined to the Flathead Indian Reservation; U.S. asserted formal jurisdiction over ceded lands