Klickitat War
Encyclopedia
The Klickitat War was a conflict between the United States
and the Klickitat
Indians and the Cascade people that occurred in 1855.
The Klickitat were living along the Columbia River
on the plateau in central Washington Territory
, on land in the path of white settlement. The governor of Washington Territory, Isaac Stevens
, used a careful combination of intimidation and force to compel the Native American
tribes of Washington Territory to sign treaties that handed over most of their lands and rights to Stevens' government. When Stevens was met with resistance, he used the troops at his disposal to pacify the region into submission.
The war was fought in the high bluffs that overlook the Columbia River and ended in 1855. The Klickitat and the Cascade people were removed from their lands.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Klickitat
Klickitat Tribe
The Klickitat are a Native American tribe of the Pacific Northwest. A Shahaptian tribe, their eastern neighbors were the Yakama, who speak a closely related language. Their western neighbors were various Salishan and Chinookan tribes...
Indians and the Cascade people that occurred in 1855.
The Klickitat were living along the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
on the plateau in central Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
, on land in the path of white settlement. The governor of Washington Territory, Isaac Stevens
Isaac Stevens
Isaac Ingalls Stevens was the first governor of Washington Territory, a United States Congressman, and a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War until his death at the Battle of Chantilly...
, used a careful combination of intimidation and force to compel the Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribes of Washington Territory to sign treaties that handed over most of their lands and rights to Stevens' government. When Stevens was met with resistance, he used the troops at his disposal to pacify the region into submission.
The war was fought in the high bluffs that overlook the Columbia River and ended in 1855. The Klickitat and the Cascade people were removed from their lands.