Federal Troops Ordered to Clear Colville Reservation
Tensions mount on the Colville Indian Reservation as the Secretary of War orders troops to remove settlers trespassing on tribal lands.
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.
Washington, April 8.—The secretary of war has just signed an order directing the troops at Fort Spokane to go to the assistance of Indian Agent Anderson in keeping trespassers off the south half of the Colville reservation. There are at present two companies of United States soldiers at Fort Spokane, numbering in all 125 men, under command of Major McLaughlin. Immediately on receiving the orders telegraphed by Secretary Alger, Major McLaughlin is expected to place both companies in marching trim, leave only as many men at the fort as are deemed necessary for a guard, and cross the Spokane river into the reservation.
“The secretary of war has just signed an order directing the troops at Fort Spokane to go to the assistance of Indian Agent Anderson in keeping trespassers off.”
This event highlights the ongoing struggle for land rights and sovereignty on the Colville Reservation, reflecting the era's aggressive federal policy toward Indigenous territories. Conflicts over the 'opening' of reservation lands to non-Indigenous settlement were a frequent source of friction in Washington history.
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