September 4 – September 10, 2008 • Over 192.4 million files served since 1998     

Turning Point

One hundred and fifty years ago this week, armed conflict between the U.S. Army and members of the Spokane, Palouse, Yakama, and Coeur d'Alene tribes came to an end when troops led by Colonel George Wright stormed through the Spokane Valley. This massive display of force effectively removed the ability and the will of the Indians to resist, changing their centuries-old way of life forever.

Troubles began three years earlier when Native Americans rejected a series of flawed treaties negotiated by Washington Territory Governor Isaac Stevens. Fighting erupted throughout the territory, but within a few years tension seemed to have abated. On May 18, 1858, as Colonel Edward Steptoe led a small and lightly armed column of soldiers through the heart of the Columbia Plateau Indian lands, he and his troops were soundly thrashed in what became the Battle of Tohotonimme.

Seeking swift retribution, the Army responded with a brutal punitive strike. On September 1, more than 700 troops led by Colonel George Wright overwhelmed somewhat fewer than 500 Indians at Four Lakes, defeating them four days later at Spokane Plains. Artist Gustavus Sohon, who accompanied Wright, sketched a panoramic view of the final battle, just as he had done following Steptoe's ordeal (shown above).

Although the Indians were defeated, Wright continued his efforts to break their resistance. On September 8, 1858, he ordered his troops to slaughter 800 Native American horses and to destroy tribal lodges and storehouses of grain. A few weeks later, Yakama and Palouse prisoners were hanged, including Yakama warrior Qualchan, who was sent to the noose 15 minutes after he surrendered to Wright carrying a white flag.

Without horses, homes, and food supplies, many Indians died that winter, mostly from starvation. Resistance from the tribes collapsed. Tribal leader Chief Spokane Garry signed a peace treaty, never wavered on his insistence that the Spokane people should have the rights to their native lands along the Spokane River, a goal which proved unattainable. He died in poverty in 1892.

Turning Lanes

When the idea of the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle was first proposed 50 years ago in 1958, the regional utility's authority was to include transit services. Voters voted no, but approved a more limited Metro charter for sewage treatment on September 9, 1958. Metro leaders such Jim Ellis didn't give up, and asked for transit planning responsibility again in 1962, but voters took another pass.

Metro tried and failed yet again in the Forward Thrust elections of 1968 and 1970. Finally voters climbed aboard an all-bus system in 1972. Two years after Metro opened its ambitious downtown transit tunnel in 1990, the utility was dissolved, but the bus system it created survives under King County management, and its light rail plans are now being realized by Sound Transit.

Turning the Pages

It's time to go back to school, and this week HistoryLink.org notes the anniversary openings of some of the state's educational institutions, beginning with Whitman College, which opened its doors in Walla Walla for the first time on September 4, 1882. Washington State Normal School opened in Ellensburg on September 6, 1891,

Tacoma High School – now known as Stadium High -- opened on September 10, 1906, and Seattle Community College welcomed 11,000 students at 13 campuses on September 6, 1966.

Of course, a new school year wouldn't be complete without new pencils, new classroom assignments, new locker combinations, and new Pee Chee folders, so look for some new changes here at HistoryLink.org. Be sure to stop by next week as we unveil HistoryLink 2.0 -- updated and redesigned for your convenience.

Turning Around, Moving Forward

Home on the Grange: On September 10, 1889, the Washington State Grange organized. It has been a driving force for many social, economic, and political reforms, including Washington's adoption of a "blanket primary" in 1935. The Grange was also a champion of a state income tax, which passed in 1932, but was voided by the State Supreme Court on September 8, 1933.

Fun at the Fair: This week was a busy one at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. A variety of special days were held on September 9, 1909, including one that honored the Hoo-Hoos. The next day, many fairgoers headed to The Meadows to catch part of the Northwest's first 24-hour automobile race. And on September 10, a statue of William H. Seward was unveiled on the fairgrounds.

Sails and Docks: After decades of mounting frustration with the railroad and shipping monopolies that dominated the city's central waterfront, King County voters approved the creation of the Port of Seattle Commission on September 5, 1911. The election was a high water mark for the municipal ownership movement and a personal triumph for visionary engineer R. H. Thomson.

Ails and Docs: On September 8, 1911, Children's Orthopedic Hospital opened on Seattle's Queen Anne Hill, thanks to the efforts of Anna Clise and her friends. The hospital moved to its Laurelhurst location in 1953, in what was one of the city's most elaborate, all-volunteer operations.

Over the Border: Businessman and philanthropist Sam Hill took a keen interest in good roads, and for years promoted a coastal highway stretching from Vancouver, B.C. to Tijuana, Mexico. On September 6, 1921, he dedicated his Peace Arch on the Canadian border at Blaine, even though the road's point of entry had not yet been decided. Five years later the Pacific Highway was built nearby and effectively completed through Washington with the opening of the Aurora "speedway" and bridge in the early 1930s.

Over the River: On September 8, 1927, the Vantage Bridge opened across the Columbia River, replacing a small car ferry that had been in operation since 1914. When the I-90 bridge was built in 1962, the historic Vantage Bridge was dismantled, and was later rebuilt as the Lyons Ferry Bridge across the Snake River.

News Flashes: Two years after Puget Sound viewers watched the region's first television broadcast on KRSC-TV, Dorothy Bullitt bought the station, transforming it into KING-TV. On September 10, 1951, the Pacific Northwest's first local live television news program was broadcast, with Charles Herring as anchorman.

Plane Crashes: Fifty years ago this week, on September 8, 1958, two U.S. Air Force B-52s collided near Fairchild Air Force Base close to Spokane, killing 13 and injuring three. Five years later, on September 10, 1962, a KC-135 Stratotanker crashed on approach to the air base, killing 44 airmen. There were no survivors.

Burning Up: Three notable fires occurred this week in Washington history, beginning with one that damaged the Old State Capitol Building in Olympia on September 8, 1928. On September 7, 1949, a blaze destroyed the Big Four Inn along the Mountain Loop Highway, and on September 9, 1949, the Snake River Bridge near Pasco went up in flames and had to be replaced.

Taking Off: Five years ago this week, on September 4, 2001, Boeing CEO Phil Condit announced that the company's headquarters would move to Chicago. Although Boeing was hatched in Seattle back in 1916, this was not the first time its executives had flown the coop.

Quote of the Week

Soon there will come from the rising sun a different kind of man than any you have yet seen, who will bring with them a book, and will teach you everything, and after that the world will fall to pieces.

--Spokane prophecy

Image of the Week

Sixty years ago, on September 9, 1948, the ferry Martha S. of Keller made her maiden voyage across Lake Roosevelt.