Quinault and Quil-ich-ulte Reservation Established by Treaty
Superintendent of Indian Affairs William W. Miller formally establishes boundaries for the Quinault and Queets lands, warning settlers of trespassing.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Notice is hereby given that the tract of land included in the subjoined boundaries has been set aside as a United States Indian Reservation, under the treaty with the Quinault and Quil-ich-ulte tribes of Indians. All persons are hereby positively warned against settling or trespassing on said tract of land, or of fishing within said boundaries. The carcasses of all whales and other marine animals floating ashore within the boundaries of said Reservation belong to and are the sole property of said Indians. No trading will be allowed with said Indians, except by persons duly authorized by law. The following are the boundaries of said Reservation, as nearly as can be determined until an official survey is made: Commencing at a point on the Pacific coast about five chains south of the Ne-mote-lopes or Roberts' creek and about three quarters of a mile south of the fifth standard parallel north of the base line, thence due east about five miles, thence about north fifteen degrees west (N 15°W) about seven miles, thence due west to a point of rocks about one mile north of the Que-ni-elt river, thence with the meanderings of the Pacific Ocean to the place of beginning. The initial point of this Reservation, for the present, is marked with a two-inch square cut in the bark.
“The carcasses of all whales and other marine animals floating ashore within the boundaries of said Reservation belong to and are the sole property of said Indians.”
This 1861 notice marks the formalization of the Quinault Indian Reservation. The struggle over treaty rights, fishing, and resource management within these boundaries continues to be a central theme in Washington State’s modern legal and political landscape.
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