Flathead Tribes

The Flathead were also known by the name Salish

Ancestral homeland: western Montana and northern Idaho

Brief Timeline

 * 1806: Lewis and Clark Expedition made contact with the tribe
 * 1840-1846: Jesuit missionary- Father Pierre Jean de Smet lived in the area
 * 1855: treaty ceded land in Montana and Idaho
 * 1872: ceded land

Brief History
The first recorded contact between the Flathead Tribe and non-Indian explorers occurred in 1806 when the Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through what was later to become Montana.

Although Victor, the head chief of the Flathead, signed the Hellgate Treaty in 1855, the Flathead Tribe was allowed to remain in Bitter Root Valley until further surveys toi determine if there was a better place for a reservation for the tribe, rather than assigning them to the Jocko Reservation.

In 1890, members of the Flathead Tribe were removed from the Bitter Root Valley to the Jocko Reservation, now known as the Flathead Reservation.

Reservations
The principle reservation occupied by the Flathead Indians is currently called the Flathead Reservation, formerly known as the Jocko Reservation, because of its location on the Jocko River in northern Montana.

Additional References to the History of the Tribe and/or Band
Frederick Webb Hodge, in his Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, gave a more complete history of the Flathead tribe, with estimations of the population of the tribe at various time periods.

Records
Correspondence and Census

Removal Records

Those who signed consents to be removed from the Bitter Root Valley to the Jocko Reservation in 1890 are included in a list taken from the book entitled Flathead Indians of Bitter Root Valley, also available online.

Treaties


 * 1855 October 17, Territory of Nebraska, Treaty with the Blackfeet
 * 1855 July 16, at Hell Gate in Bitter Root Valley,Treaty with Flatheads Etc.,

Vital Records


 * Flathead Agency, M595, births and deaths, 1924-1934, FHL Film: 576469 and births and deaths, 1927-1937, FHL Film: 576471. FHL Film: 576468 also includes supplemental rolls of the Flathead (Montana) Agency

Important Web Sites

 * Flathead Indian Reservation Wikipedia