The Governor’s Ultimatum on Indigenous Land
Governor Isaac I. Stevens issues a public warning regarding unauthorized settlement on lands reserved for Indigenous use.
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 to Settlers: All persons are hereby notified that the occupation or settlement by white persons upon lands specifically reserved by treaty for the exclusive use of the Indians, or of lands of the United States reserved for their use, is prohibited by law. The Superintendent of Indian Affairs is hereby directed to remove all persons who have, in violation of said law, settled upon such lands. The attention of all persons is called to this regulation, as it will be strictly enforced. Isaac I. Stevens, Governor and Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Washington Territory, February 11, 1854.
“The occupation or settlement by white persons upon lands specifically reserved by treaty for the exclusive use of the Indians... is prohibited by law.”
This notice reflects the heavy hand of the territorial government in the years leading up to the Treaty Wars of 1855-1856. It marks the formal state policy of enforcing settler-colonial boundaries, a precursor to the systemic dispossession that continues to shape land rights and tribal sovereignty in Washington State today.
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