The Federal Government Begins Land Allotments for the Calispel Tribe
Clair Hunt arrives in the Calispel Valley to begin the process of partitioning land for the Calispel people, a move following a special act of Congress.
Clair Hunt, who recently returned from Washington, D.C., will take up his headquarters in the Calispel valley on the east side of the Pend Oreille river, opposite Cusick, next week, where he will begin making allotments of land to Calispel Indians. The government has never made a reservation for these Indians, but has, through a special act, just set aside a portion of the territory in that section for allotment. Mr. Hunt carries a complete government camping outfit with him, and is accompanied by a small retinue of assistants. There will probably be several months work for him in the Calispel valley.
“The government has never made a reservation for these Indians, but has, through a special act, just set aside a portion of the territory in that section for allotment.”
This report marks a pivotal moment in the history of the Kalispel Tribe of Indians, who were long denied a formal reservation by the federal government. The 'allotment' process was a federal policy intended to break up communal tribal lands, a legacy that continues to shape land ownership and tribal sovereignty in the Pend Oreille region today.
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