Lewis and Clark met Wallawalla Chief Yellept on the left side of the Columbia River below the Wallawalla River.
Lewis and Clark stayed at the Wallawalla Camp on the West side of the Columbia before crossing over to the Wallawalla River where they camped on the way back East.
Northwest Fur Company built Fort NezPerce (pierced noses) on the Columbia River. Not knowing the local Indians well, they named the Fort after the jewelry fad of the Indians wearing nose ornaments. It was not named after the NezPerce Indians.
Fort NezPerce was taken over by Hudson Bay Co. and renamed Fort Walla Walla after the nearby Wallawalla Indians whose land the Fort was on.
Many, many thousands of Indians from Montana to California died of the Ague (malaria influenza). Hudson Bay Trader McLoughlin said 75% of all Indians gone, 90% of some camps, 100% of others. Camp after camp of dead Indians. Some white men were extremely saddened, while others were glad they wouldn't have to fight them for their land.
Missionary Marcus Whitman came to build a mission in the Wallawalla Valley and christianize the Cayuse Indians
Whitman Mission Massacre brought on by the deadly measles epidemic brought by the incoming settlers.
Cayuse War
5 Cayuse including Chief Tilaukaikt and Medicine Man Tomahas were hung at Oregon City, Oregon for the murder of Marcus Whitman as an example for any other Indians that might be thinking of killing missionaries.
Donation Claims of 320 & 640 acres encouraged white settlers to think the land belonged to them and that the Indians had no claim to their own land.
As more new settlers continued to come in, Indian councils were gathering many hostile Indians as settlers just took their land.
Walla Walla Indian Council at Camp Stevens, southside of Mill Creek, Wallawalla Valley, with Gov. Isaac Stevens and Joel Palmer.
Amidst anger and hostility, Peupeumoxmox signed the Walla Walla Treaty June 9th. As an inducement (payment) to sign the treaty, The Chief was given the privilege of building a trading post on his own land near the mouth of the Yakama River. The Cayuse were last to sign June 11th as they wouldn't sign unless they got the mountains and more land for their thousands of ponies and cattle. There was not enough land on the Umatilla River for them all. Spokane Garry told Stevens the Cayuse would be happy with the bunchgrass land between the Umatilla and Wallawalla Rivers. Stevens told them to check it out and if it was not large enough he would make it larger.
Joel Palmer --- They have sold us all their country except their reservation land, that they have reserved for themselves, that is to be kept in its entirety for them and their children. That tract of land is the Indian's home, his home and the home of his children.
Summer of much discontent. The Indians didn't want to give away their land or leave their homeland or go to reservations.
The Battle of Wallawalla was already brewing on the Wallawalla River. Peupeumoxmox was waiting for Stevens to return from Montana to renegotiate the Cayuse treaty.
Battle of Wallawalla, Frenchtown, Washington Territory
Peupeumoxmox stood up for the rights of his people to own their own homeland. He became the Head War Chief as he had more experience and aggressiveness then did Weahtenatemany or 5 Crows. The Battle was fought between Lt.Col. James Kelly's Oregon Mounted Volunteers and Peupeumoxmox Combined Indian Force. On afternoon of December 7 around 2 oclock, Peupeumoxmox, and 4 other prisoners, including his two older sons were killed. By end of the 4 day battle, the bloodiest conflict ever fought in the Northwest, several Volunteers and many Indians had been killed. Volunteers ran short of ammunition, and smoke signals on yon hill told Indians to flee as more troops were coming, thereby leaving Stevens and the volunteers in control of the Wallawalla Valley.
Peupeumoxmox was a Washington Indian and died a Washington Indian and he lies buried in his own homeland.
Indians attack Seattle.
Lt. Goff went to fight Indians on Burnt River in Oregon.
40 Cayuse Indian women, children and elders massacred by Volunteer soldiers, led by Lt. Benj. Shaw under the NezPerce guide Capt. John, cohort of Lawyer's, near Elgin, Oregon. Wallawalla and Cayuse warriors did not arrive in time to help in the fight. 200 cayuse ponies taken, were later sold at The Dalles to help pay for the Indian wars. Years later it would be compared to the Sand Creek Massacre.
Because of the hostilities and the continual fighting going on in the Wallawalla valley between the Cayuse and Stevens volunteers, a second Indian Council became necessary between Isaac Stevens and the very hostile Indians, of the Wallawalla, Cayuse, Yakama, Palouse, who were dissatisfied with their treaties and wish them done away with and their land given back. Also Indians extremely angry at Stevens and volunteers for the brutal killing of Peupeumoxmox, the massacre of Cayuse women and children and the violent treatment toward the Indians by the volunteers in general.
Stevens was occupied establishing Craig's Indian Agency in vicinity of Steptoe Camp, guarded by 50 NezPerce.
Stevens Blockhouse --- Leaving the Valley after the Council, Stevens was attacked by the hostiles and rescued by Steptoe and taken way up Mill Creek to Steptoe's camp. Stevens urged Steptoe to build a block house and stockade up at Steptoe's Mill Creek camp in 2 days. Stevens left the Valley on Sept. 23.
In October Col. George Wright having told Steptoe not to have anything to do with Stevens, brought Steptoe back down to a previous volunteer camp at eastbank and northbank of Mill Creek that had high banks and woods at the rear, as hostile Indians were in the Valley.
Hudson Bay Old Fort Walla Walla and Walla Walla Landing were on the Columbia River.
There was no Old NezPerce Trail going through Cayuse land. In 1861 the gold miners came and it was the trail to the NezPerce Reservation gold mines.
A blockhouse was built as Col. George Wright established a post in the Wallawalla valley known as Steptoe Encampment or Cantonment to protect the Indians from the volunteers and the white settlers. He hoped Treaty would not be ratified, thought it had been fraudulently negotiated and told Cayuse the valley still belonged to them and they planned to return in the spring. No white settlement was to be made into the valley and Lt. Col. Steptoe was left in charge of that fact, no white settlers, but he thought settlement should be made into the valley and soon there were merchants, whiskey drummers, etc. and soldiers already taking claims.
Gen. Wool, a champion of Indians, was withdrawn and Gen. Clark took command.
Sawmill was brought in to cut lumber for building the new Fort on the hill and the Cayuse found that their valley they returned to in the spring was gathering many white settlers, against the orders of General Wool.
Old Ft. Walla Walla was used as military depot, Walla Walla Landing to Steptoe Encampment, later bought by US Government.
Indians angry with influx of American settlers, and with the military taking over the country and going north into Palouse and Spokanee land, which angered the northern tribes, who wanted neither settlers nor military in their country.
Steptoe Butte, Battle of Spokane Plains, Battle of Four Lakes were between hostile Indians losing their land and the military. After the battles, Col. Wright declared "the Indian Wars were over and the bloody shirt had been washed". Wright considered himself the "agent of vengeance".
Walla Walla becomes a town!
Wallawalla, Cayuse, Umatilla Treaty ratified. The Cayuse were not given the land they did not sell or had signed their treaty to get, but the Reservation was cut in half excluding the headwaters of the Umatilla River, leaving the reservation even smaller then before, leaving the Wallawalla and Cayuse still hostile after Stevens deception.
Wallawalla-Cayuse Reservation Life begins.
In 1860 old Owlishwampu becomes Cayuse Head Chief and after Peupeumoxmox Son had been killed, Homily became Wallawalla Head Chief in 1863.