Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1869-08-21
(rrom the Transctirt]
The MisQually Indian Reservation.

Several entcrprising individuals having
carried into practice the doctrine Of squat
ter, or popular sovereignty, and taken pos
session of the tract Of land reserved by
the government, and long known as the
Nisqually Indian Reservation, considerable
interest and curiosity in relation to the
matter being manifested by almost every
one, the following history Of the rcserva-
tion in question, may not be altogether
unintcrcsting:
The treaty setting apart this tract Of land
as a reservation for the use of the Indians,
was concluded December 26th,. 1854, by
Isaac |. Stevens, governor and supcrintend-
cnt of Indian affairs of Washington Terri
tory, on the part Of the United States, and
the various bands and tribes of Indians in
terested, on their own part, and duly signed
by the contracting parties. The treaty
was ratified by the Senate Of the United
States March 3, 1855.
The boundaries and location of this res
ervation are perhaps as well and accurately
defined as any reservation in the territory.
The township in which it is located was sur
vcyed and the plat of the township approv-
cd by the surveyor general, February lth,
1854. 1t appears that governor and SUI
perintcndent Stevens designated the bound
aries of this reservation in accordance with
said United States approved surveys, they
having been made but few months prcvi-
Gus, no further designation was necessary.
The tract as described in the treaty was
designated upon the approved plats of SUR
vey filed in the Register Office of the Uni
ted States Land Office for this district,
as the following notice to settlers, publish
ed in the Pioneer and Democrat newspaper,
at the time, by governor Stevens would
indicate:
"The following reservations for the Indians
on Puget Sound having been surveyed, or har-
ing natural boundaries defining them, imforma-
ton is given to the public, that settlers may
take action accordingly in locating claims. The
necessary notice will be given in regard to the
remaining reservations, as soon as the SURVEYS
are made:
EXECUTIVES OFFICE,
Olympia w. T., January 81, 1865.
lst The northern half of section 2G-thc
northeastern quarter of section 27--fractional
section %, and the eastern half Of section - !;
all in range one Q) west, township nineteen
l9) north, situated on the south side of Pu-
get Sound, near the mouth of the Shc-nah-
nam, or Medicine creek, and one mile west of
the Willamette meridian, containing according
to the U. ). Land Survey l.204 acres"
ISAAC !. STEVENS,
Cor. and Supt. Ind. ar, VT.
Then follows full descriptions of other
reservations, as far as surveyed, including
Puyallup, Neah Bay, and Lummi, but
which are not pertinent to this article.
This reservation has been known and
protected as an Indian reservation las is
usual in similar cases) by the registers of
the land Office and the Indian superintend-
ents, since that period. 1t appears that
this reservation has been used and occu-
pied by only small portion Of the Indians
who were a party to the treaty, and is un-
derstood to have been recommended to be
abandoned. by the Indian Supcrintend-
ents, and by the Local Land Office De-
partments but there appears to be
nothing on record to show that the govern
ment has ever abandoned the reservation
Much tho larger portion Of the reservation
is comparatively worthless for agricultural
purposes. and is valuable mainly on ac-
count Of its prospective value as proba-
bic future town site or railroad terminus.
1t has been frequently intimated that
the most equitable method of disposing of
the land in question in case Of abandon
ment by the government and the Indians,
would be to offer it at public sale in the
smallest legal subdivisions. Government
would be most likely to realize more in
that way. ard it would probably give as
good satisfaction to settlers as any other
mode, thus giving every ono an opporta-
nifty to secure tract if desired. '