Flathead Indian Reservation (Montana)

The Flathead Indian Reservation is a federally-recognized reservation, located north of Interstate 90 between Missoula and Kalispell, mostly within the boundaries of Lake County. Small portions of the reservation are also located in Sanders, Missoula, and Flathead Counties.


 * Established -- 16 July 1855
 * Agency (BIA) -- Flathead Indian Agency at Pablo, Montana
 * Principal tribes -- Salish (also called Flathead), Pend d'Oreille, and Kootenai (also called the Confederated Salish and Kootenai).
 * Population -- 28,359 (2010 census).
 * Approx. 4500 living on or near the Reservation in 2009. 1969: Tribal enrollment 5,296.

History
The Flathead Reservation Historical Society has compiled a time line of historical events, which lists important happenings from pre-contact to the year 2000.

The reservation was originally named the Jocko Reservation, as it was located on the Jocko River. It was created by a Treaty of July 16, 1855 (XII, 975). Some of reservation land has been allotted to individual Indians under acts of Apr. 23, 1904 (XXIII, 302), Feb. 8, 1887 (XXIV, 388), and Feb. 28,1891(XXVI, 791). Historical evidence indicates the Flathead Reservation may have extended into the Bitterroot Valley. It is clearly stated in the July 16, 1855 Hell Gate Treaty, that the Bitterroot Valley was wanted to be included as a Reservation. In fact, Indians were still living in the Bitterroot Valley until October 1891. United States soldiers forced them to relocate to the Flathead Reservation in that year.

They may have been the subjects of chief Aeneas or Ignace Paul. It is widely accepted that chief Charlo was the principle leader of the Bitterroot Valley Indians. However, chief Paul's father settled down to live in the Bitterroot Valley about 1816, after moving from Michigan. Chief Charlo had to be forced to gather his people together for the trek to the Flathead Reservation. He had great resentment against the whites.

In the early 1880s, the United States wanted to negotiate a treaty in which a railroad would be built across the Reservation. Chief Arlee jumped at the chance to receive the $1 million. Chief Paul had other worries to tend to because many of his subjects were living north and east of the Flathead Reservation. Supposedly a negotiator for the railroad and government of the United States, promised to negotiate on behalf of the Flathead Reservation about having the Reservation enlarged on the north. It may have been a deal in which the northern part of the Reservation was eradicated.

Frank Linderman wrote in one of his books that the region north of the Flathead Reservation was still occupied by chief Paul's subjects in the 1880s. Linderman described the region as a dangerous one in which every now and then Indians killed some whites. The Indians were Chippewa's who white historians have named the Kootenai. The canoes of the Kootenai look identical to the canoes of the Chippewa's. Western Montana has some lakes but not as many as found in the Great Lakes region where some of today's Kootenai claim they originally lived. That is Michigan.

In 1904, the United States commenced to launch Land Acts which had intentions of granting land allotments to Indians. That same year chief Rocky Boy commenced to negotiate with American representatives about finding a Reservation for the Chippewa's living in the Flathead Reservation region. Though the United States supposedly claimed the bill failed, there is the region within the Flathead Reservation where the Kootenai settlements are located. They are Big Arm, Dayton Homesite, Elmo, and Niarada. Many of the Chippewa's refused to accept land allotments.

Those who agreed to accept land allotments received their land allotments in the southern Flathead Valley or Mission Valley. They also received land allotments in central and northern Montana. In October of 1908, a game warden and some deputized citizens attacked a camp of Chippewa's still living off Reservation in the Swan Valley which borders the Flathead Reservation on the east. The remaining Chippewa's still living off the Reservation, were forcefully relocated to the Blackfeet Reservation in November of 1909. In 1910, or shortly after chief Charlo's death, the United States broke treaty promises and opened up the Reservation to white settlement. Nearly all available agriculture land was eventually sold to non Indians.

During the 20th century, the Kicking Horse Job Corps was founded. It has led to many non Algonquin and Salish Indians settling down to live on the Reservation. The Flathead Reservation is also a Nez Perce and Spokane Reservation. However, they are not holding on to their tribal identities as well as the Chippewa's. Even today, up to 300 or more Chippewa's are holding on to their tribal identity at the Flathead Reservation.

Flathead Reservation has at least 24 communities. Most are predomonantly white. However, throughout the Reservation are numerous other areas which have clusters of housing units which are not categorized as a cdp, city, town, or village. All are probably predominantly Indian. The total number of these clusters of housing units is near 15. The Flathead Reservation has around 22 or 23 communities which are predominantly Indian.

Among their historical leaders are chief Victor, his son chief Charlo, chief Ignace Paul, chief Arlee and several others. Interestingly, a chief named Moses signed both the July 16, 1855 Hell Gate and the October 17, 1855 Blackfeet Stevens Treaties. He may be the same chief Moses of Washington State who refused to sign the Stevens Treaty involving his land around the Yakima Reservation region in Washington State.

Records
Many of the records of individual Indians living on the Flathead Reservation were kept by the Flathead Agency of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, located in Pablo, Montana. Others are kept by the Tribal Office.

In 1905, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs assigned Special Agent Thomas Downs to investigate the enrollment of the Indians of the Flathead Reservation. The National Archives has microfilmed the resulting documents as their Microcopy M1350, consisting of 3 rolls of microfilm. These records are available at the National Archives and their Regional Archives, and at other research institutions, including the in Salt Lake City. The records include census rolls for 1903, 1905, and 1908, as well as applications for enrollment and Agent Downs' field notes. It includes members of all tribes then living on the Flathead Reservation, including the Flathead, Kootenai, Pend d'Oreille, Kalispel, and Spokane tribes.

Land records: Tribally-owned land: 558,216.44 Allotted land: 56,869.08.

Important Websites
Flathead Reservation Historical Society