Under Construction Washington Indigenous Wars
In 1800, after a devastating small pox epidemic in 1774, Washington’s indigenous population was about 86,000. They shared 71,000 square miles. By 1900 the remaining indigenous population was about 23,000 then mostly resided on reservations of about 4,900 square miles. 25% of 1800 population resided on 7% of the land. What happened in that 100 years?
In the 1850’s there were a series of wars between european migrates and indigenous tribes across the state as the first territorial Governor, Isaac Stevenson, tried to force Indians onto reservations and claim land for white settlers. However the real work clearing the land for settlement was done European disease small pox, measles, typhoid, malarial, etc.
| Indigenous Population of Washington by Tribe or Region (1800–1900) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Estimated Population (1800) | Estimated Population (1900) | Notes | |||
| Puget Sound Coast Salish | 25,000–35,000 | 4,000–6,000 | Includes Duwamish, Snohomish, Puyallup, Nisqually, Suquamish, and others | |||
| Olympic Peninsula Tribes | 6,000–8,000 | 1,000–1,500 | Makah, Quileute, Hoh, Quinault | |||
| Lower Columbia River Tribes | 10,000–15,000 | 1,500–2,500 | Chinook, Cowlitz, Chehalis, Shoalwater Bay | |||
| Interior Salish (Plateau) | 20,000–30,000 | 5,000–7,000 | Spokane, Kalispel, Colville, Okanagan, Sanpoil | |||
| Yakama Nation | 8,000–12,000 | 2,000–3,000 | Includes Yakama, Klickitat, and related bands | |||
| Nez Perce (WA portion) | 3,000–5,000 | 800–1,200 | Mostly in Idaho, but ancestral lands extended into SE Washington | |||
| Other Plateau Tribes | 5,000-8,000 | 1,000-2,000 | Includes Umatilla, Walla Walla, Palouse (some in Oregon/Idaho | |||
| Totals | 52,000-86,000 | 15,300-23,200 | ||||
| Smallpox Epidemic of the 1770s | ||||||
| In the early 1770s, a devastating smallpox epidemic struck the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest, including tribes in what is now Washington State. This was the first known smallpox outbreak in the region and coincided with the first direct European contact. The epidemic caused widespread mortality, killing an estimated 11,000 Indigenous people in Western Washington alone, reducing populations from approximately 37,000 to 26,000. The disease spread rapidly along coastal and inland tribes, causing significant demographic collapse not only from the illness itself but also from malnutrition due to the loss of hunters within communities. | ||||||
| The scars and pockmarks from smallpox were visible on survivors for decades, as noted by explorers such as Lewis and Clark. This epidemic marked the beginning of a series of devastating disease outbreaks that profoundly affected Indigenous populations throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. | ||||||
| This table compares approximate Indigenous population estimates across major tribal regions in Washington State between 1800 and 1900. These figures are drawn from historical demography, ethnographic records, and federal census data. All numbers are estimates due to incomplete documentation and the impact of disease, displacement, and federal policy. | ||||||