Page:History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana.djvu/413

Rh Large herds of cattle and horses roamed over the remainder, all of which was good farming and grazing land. The Colville agency had nominal control of eight different tribes, aggregating over 3,000 persons, including the Colville, Okanagan, Spokane, Kalispel, Sanpoil, Mithow, Nespilem, and Lake Chelan, bands mainly of non-treaty Indians, and some of them refusing to admit the authority of the U. S., though peaceably disposed. During mining times in the following years the Yakima war, the supt made use of the officer in command as a local agent to regulate their intercourse with the white population and preserve the peace. It was not until April 9, 1872, that a reservation was set apart for them by executive order, including the Colville Valley, and with which they were pleased. Against including this valley, in which there were about sixty white settlers, there was an immediate protest, v.diich led the president to issue an order on the following 2d of July confining the reservation to the country bounded on the east and south by the Columbia, on the west by the Okanagan, and north by B. C. Olympia Transcript, July 27, 1872; //. Misc. Doc, 1873-4, 122, 43d cong. 1st sess. This caused a counter-protest from agents and Indians. The change was, however, adhered to, but the Colville Indians continued to occupy that valley in common with white settlers, the Jesuits taking cliarge of their spiritual affairs, as they had done since 1842. A further grant was made on the west side of the Okana- gan in April 1879, whereby the reservation was extended on the west side of the Okanagan to the Cascade Range, making the reserved land comprise all the country in east Washington west of the Columbia and noith of about 48° 30', containing about 4,000 square miles, or between two and three million acres. On the 6th of March, 1880, a tract bounded on the east by a line run- ning south from where the last reservation crossed the Okanagan to the mouth of said river, and thence down the Columbia to the junction of the stream which is the outlet of lake Chelan, following the meanderings of that lake on the west shore to the source of the stream which feeds it, thence v/est to the 44th degree of longitude, and north to the southern boundary of the re- serve of 1879, containing about 600,000 acres, was allowed for a reservation for the non-treaty Indians under Chief Moses, who claimed it by virtue of services rendered the U. S. in preventing an Indian war. Walla Walla Statesman, April 10, 1880; Ind. Af. Rept, 1879, i. 80. There were in all about four and a half million acres of land set apart for the use of some 14,.S00 men, women, and children remaining in 1879, giving 323 acres to each individual, tuition and other benefits being free. Of this land some was very poor, more particularly the Colville reservation, but there was much good land.

Frequent reference has been made in the narrative of Washington history to the opening of roads to give the Puget Sound region land communication with other parts of the country, and open a way for the mails. In 1852 the only means of access from the Columbia River was by a cattle-trail, while immigrants and their luggage were conveyed in canoes up the Cowlitz River, after which they were compelled to take to the rude trail cut by the immi- grants of 1845. Warbass & Townsend, storekeepers at Monticello, adver- tised in Dec. 1852 to forward passengers and freight, saying that the mail- boat would leave for Cowlitz landing every Tuesday morning at 6 o'clock. They had some ' very large bateaux running on the river capable of accommo- dating 8 or 10 families and their plunder, including wagons, yokes, chains,' etc. A bateau managed by 8 or 9 expert Indians would reach Cowlitz landing in about three days, the distance from Fox's landing, or Rainier, on the Columbia being 34 miles. Olympia Columbian, May 14, 1853. Five days were oftener required for the passage, and the charges were heavy. Subscriptions were taken in Dec. 1852 to raise money to construct a wagon- way up the east side of the Cowlitz to connect at the landing with this road. A petition was also circulated for signatures praying the Oregon legislature for an appropriation to aid the citizens of northern Oregon in surveying and completing a