Spokane Tribe

Indians of Montana &gt; Spokane Indians

Alternate names: Spokan

History
The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions sent missionaries to the tribe in the mid 1800s. They established the Tshimakain Mission.

Smallpox and measles epidemics depopulated the tribes in the years 1782 and in 1847.

Emigration on the Oregon Trail caused conflict with the tribe as the trail went through their lands.

At the battle at Te-hots-Ne-Mah, in which U.S. troops under the command of Colonel Steptoe battled the Spokane, Palouse, Coeur d'Alene, Columbia River, Colville Calispel and Spokane Indian tribes, the tribes were defeated.

The Lower Spokanes moved to the Spokane Reservation in 1877.

The Spokane Reservation was established in 1881, and when the army abanded Fort Spokane, the tribe utilized the old fort as a school.

The tribe has divided into Upper, Middle, and Lower Spokane bands/groups. The Upper and Middle Spokanes moved to the Colville Flathead Reservation in 1887.

Brief Timeline

 * 1782: smallpox epidemic
 * 1838-1848: the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions sent missionaries among the tribe. The Tshimakain Mission was established
 * 1843- : Oregon Trail
 * 1847: measles epidemic
 * 1858: Colonel Steptoe battled the Spokane, Palouse, Coeur d'Alene, Yakama and other tribes at Te-hots-Ne-Mah
 * 1858: Battle of Four Lakes, Colonel Wright fought with the Coeur d'Alene, Columbia River, Colville, Kalispel and Spokane Indians; the Indians were defeated
 * 1881: Spokane Reservation is established
 * 1896: U.S. Army abandoned Fort Spokane; the tribe established a boarding school there.
 * 1906: Indian Agents alloted land to 651 Spokan tribal members
 * 1951: 1st constitution and bylaws for the Spokane Tribe of Spokane Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington
 * 1980: The Commissioner of Indian Affairs ratified a constitution and bylaws for the Spokane Tribe of the Spokane Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington

Additional References to the History of the Tribe

 * Frederick Webb Hodge, in his Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, gave a more complete history of the Spokane tribe, with estimations of the population of the tribe at various time periods.
 * Additional details are given in John Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America.

Tribal Headquarters
Spokane Tribe of Indians P.O. BOX 100 Wellpinit, WA 99040 Ph. 509-458-6500

Agencies:

 * Colville Agency
 * Spokane Agency

Vital Records

 * Colville Agency, M595, births and deaths 1924-1932, FHL Film: 574214 and 1935,1936,1938,1939, FHL Film: 574215

Important Web Sites

 * Spokane Tribe Official Web Site
 * Constitution and By-Laws of the Spokane Tribe of the Spokane Reservation Washington. Approved June 27, 1951.