The Bitterroot Salish were forced from their ancestral valley through deception and forged signatures

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The Bitterroot Salish people once thrived in the Bitterroot Valley of present-day Montana. Despite their deep connection to the land and repeated attempts to maintain their sovereignty, they were eventually coerced into a forced relocation in 1891, a journey their elders would later remember as a funeral march.

The Bitterroot Salish, an Interior Salish group, originally occupied a vast region before moving into the Bitterroot Valley in the 1700s. Their history is deeply intertwined with the landscape, which they believe was prepared for mankind by Coyote. Oral traditions describe geological events from the last ice age, including the flooding of western Montana and the retreat of glaciers, events that archaeologists have linked to human occupancy dating back as far as 12,600 years.

In 1855, the U.S. government sought to consolidate tribes onto reservations to open land for white settlement. During the Hellgate treaty negotiations, Chief Victor refused to leave the Bitterroot Valley, leading to a provisional reservation designation in Article 11. This status remained in limbo for decades. By 1872, Congressman James A. Garfield attempted to force the Salish to move. When Chief Charlo refused to sign the removal agreement, government officials forged his signature on the official copy sent to the Senate, an act that deeply embittered the tribe.

The Salish maintained their presence in the valley until the 1880s, when the collapse of buffalo herds and a severe drought in 1889 made survival increasingly difficult. In 1889, Henry B. Carrington negotiated a new agreement, promising support that never materialized. The final removal occurred on October 15, 1891. Despite the trauma of the march and subsequent broken promises regarding rations and land, the Salish successfully preserved their culture. In the 20th century, they formed the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, successfully defending against federal termination efforts in 1953 and eventually reclaiming management of local resources like the National Bison Range by 2021.

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