 
CHILDREN of the SUN: Chapter 3The Fortunes of War Congress passed the Donation Act, which opened non-settled lands for the white settlement in 1850. Under the Act any citizen could claim up to 320 acres in the Oregon Territory, including lands occupied by Indians. In order for an Indian to claim land under the Act, he had to sever his tribal affiliation and become an American citizen. Many Indians were thrown off land they had lived on for years because they did not understand the law. The Donation Act was a big contributor to the Indian-white friction which was to follow. Washington became a territory on March 2, 1853. Isaac Stevens was appointed as the first territorial governor, and in 1853 was designated a Treaty Commissioner and was authorized to enter into treaties with Indian tribes of eastern Washington. Stevens' treaty commission visited the Spokane area in 1855 and met with the Spokanes in December at Spokane Falls. No treaty was reached .. but Stevens promised to return the following spring. By 1856, Indian unrest was growing and Stevens was forced to meet t5 with other tribes. He reported he could not keep his promise with the Spokanes. By 1857 the clouds of war were gathering as the Spokane area was being invaded by white settlers and miners. With the advent of the whites the very livelihood of the Indians was threatened. The abundant food supply of yesteryear was rapidly disappearing. Thus an alliance of defense and war was made between the Spokanes, Coeur d' Alenes, small groups of Yakimas, Kalispels, and Palouse. The combined force numbered about 1,000. They felt their alliance necessary to protect their lands from further white encroachment. In 1858 Colonel Steptoe was sent to Fort Colville to investigate the murder of two miners. While encamped along the Palouse River with 150 troops, Steptoe was warned not to cross the river. If he did the Indians would resist him. Steptoe did not heed the warning and proceeded northward into Spokane country where he was attacked. Steptoe and his troops were forced to retreat to near the present site of Rosalia, where they held up for the night. The allied Spokane force surrounded the besieged troops and planned to finish the battle in the morning. But during the night, led by friendly Indian scouts, the soldiers were able to sneak through the Indian lines, leaving pack horses, mules, and supplies behind. When morning came and the Indians found the soldiers had escaped, they gave chase, but could not overtake the retreating army contingent before it had crossed the Snake River. Shortly after the Steptoe skirmish, Colonel George Wright led a retaliatory force against the Spokanes. Wright had a force of 700 dragoons, well supplied and equipped, including two cannons and the new Sharp's repeater rifle. The Indian force outnumbered the soldiers, but had far less in arms and ammunition. When confronted by the combined Spokane force near Four Lakes, Wright made no efforts to talk peace, but sent his troops in a direct charge. The Indians were defenseless against the new repeating weapons and were overpowered and driven back with several being killed. Wright rested his troops for two days before setting out in the direction of Spokane Falls where he planned to finish the fight. The Indians met Wright's army near the present site of Fairchild Air Force Base and were defeated. Wright proceeded t Spokane Falls where he ordered the delivery of all Indian horses to him. When they had been delivered, Wright ordered them slaughtered and dumped into the river near the present Spokane Bridge. This was not enough revenge for Wright. He continue on through Spokane country destroying standing crops of grain and stores of food. Wright was not satisfied with defeating the Spokane force an destroying their food supplies, he was also determined to solve the murder of the two miners Steptoe had been sent out to investigate. Without a thorough investigation, Wright ordered the hanging of fifteen Indians for the two alleged murders near what is now called Hangman Creek. This site is east of present Spangle. On September 24, 1858, Wright forced the Spokanes to sign a harsh treaty of peace to further avenge Steptoe's defeat. Among other demands, the treaty required the Spokanes to deliver the chief and four men with families to be held as hostages for one year to guarantee future good conduct of the tribe; and to promise safe passage of whites through Spokane country. A long hard winter for the Spokanes followed the war. Wright's vicious tactics of destroying the Spokanes' food supplies led to the starvation of many, especially the young and the old. The rise of Spokane Garry as a notable chief began in the spring of 1859. Garry was instructed by his tribe to see what could be done to obtain a formal treaty. He was chosen to represent his tribe mainly because he spoke English fluently. Months turned to years as Garry's treaty efforts failed. In the early 1860's efforts were being made to place the Spokanes on a reservation. The Homestead Act of May 20, 1862, created re problems for the Indian. White settlers could take up to 160 acres of land for farming under the Act. The Spokanes resented he continuous white encroachment and refused to go onto the reservation until they were paid for their land. The next several years saw little progress being made in treaty negotiations. The Spokanes' natural food supply was being badly depleted by the white men. They turned to raising grain and cattle as taught by the missionaries. By 1870, the estimated 715 Spokanes owned 600 head of cattle. Prosperity did not last long though, as the unscrupulous whites began to steal the cattle using branding laws which the Indians didn't understand. When the Indian went to recover his animals, the white man reported him to the law and he was arrested for "stealing" his own cattle. In 1874, a meeting was held at Spokane Falls with General Davis of the army to discuss a reservation for the Spokanes. Garry was accompanied to the meeting by Reverend H. T. Cowley. Cowley said that the General treated Garry in a very cool manner and that he had no interest in a reservation for the Spokanes. Three years later, in 1877, E.C. Watkins and General Frank Wheaton representing the United States met with the Spokanes. They promised to take very good care of the Spokanes if they remained at peace.
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