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The Treaty Tree (also referred to as the “Witness Tree” by the indigenous peoples) is a ponderosa pine tree that stands on Peone Prairie, just outside of Spokane, Washington. The Treaty Tree has, throughout its life, been an example of the common characteristics of Washington State history: fur-trading, Jesuit missions, Indian treaties, and the removal of Native Americans to government-issued reservations. Contributing not only to the local history of Spokane, the Treaty Tree has grown to represent the history of Washington as well as the United States, as its various historical roots showcase its significance in the shaping of various landscapes. The Treaty Tree is located slightly south of Doak Road, which connects perpendicularly to Argonne Road. The tree stands at about eighty feet tall and, at the crown, about forty feet across. Although its exact age is unknown, it is believed to be a little more than three hundred-years-old. The tree now stands among private residences and the rolling wheat fields on the prairie with Mount Spokane visible along the northeast horizon. The Treaty Tree is identifiable by a five-foot-tall hollow core, believed to have been first created by a fire in 1908 (which destroyed all other historic structures in the area), and the core was later widened by a lightning strike during a storm in 1922.

Hollow in Treaty Tree from 1908 Fire and 1922 Lightning

Its south-leaning trunk is also a notable feature, symbolic of its unusual yet incredible history.

The Treaty Tree on Peone Prairie

History

During the settlement of the western-half of the United States, fur-trading proved to be the prominent industry. Baptiste Peone (1820-1902?), for whom Peone Prairie is named, was born to Louis Peone, a fur trader for the North West Company whose family heritage was half-Indian and half-French-Canadian, and a Spokane Indian mother at the Spokane House, a fur-trading post. He was the chief of the Upper Spokane band of the Spokane Tribe and an employee of the Hudson Bay Company. In 1848, he was chosen to establish a trading post for the Hudson Bay Company, which was to be placed halfway between Fort Colville and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Ultimately, Chief Peone chose the ponderosa pine that later became the Treaty Tree to be this post, as it was a halfway stopping point on the direct route from Coeur d’Alene to the Colville valley. A cabin and a few other small buildings were built on the post’s location, allowing for the beginning of its rich history to grow.

The Wartime Landscape

The establishment of a trading post at the Treaty Tree created a flow of white settlers to the region, contributing to tensions with Native Americans. The Yakima War of 1855 (traditionally known as the Indian War) and the Coeur d’Alene War of 1858, the second phase of the Yakima War, were fought between several Native American tribes throughout the territory that is now Washington State and white settlers who were taking over various native lands for greater access to gold and other resources that were believed to be present in the winding rivers and largely unsettled landscape of the area. When the first settlers, particularly missionaries and traders, came into the region, they signed land treaties with the Native Americans that protected and reserved particular land for the local tribes. However, outrage ensured because when the “land-grab” began, Native Americans found the resultant influx of white settlers to have little regard for the aforementioned agreements. Several local battles took place over the issue of ownership of the land and several people, on both sides, were killed. The major players in these battles were Colonel George Wright (1802-1865), of the United States Army, and Kamiakin (1800-1877), the chief of the Yakama tribe. After several years of fighting, Colonel Wright drove out Kamiakin and claimed the land that now makes up Washington State as white territory.

Due to the immense influx of white settlers to the area and the resultant tensions, several peace treaties were negotiated and signed during the mid- to late-1850s under the Treaty Tree. However, peace did not exist on the prairie. These hostile encounters between the Native Americans that inhabited the Pacific Northwest and white settlers were very common for the time. Although truces were formed between Native American chiefs and army officials, these treaties were far from mutual agreements, as the Native Americans essentially lost the land that had been their residence for centuries. There is no doubt that the Treaty Tree holds significant value for the history of not only the Native Americans, but also the history of Spokane and its population. Despite the treaties, tensions between the European-Americans and the Native Americans were not resolved and battles continued. A final treaty was signed under the branches of the Treaty Tree in order to end this turmoil. The Treaty of 1887 was an agreement, although more of a dictation, for the relocation of the Spokane Tribe to reservations in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and Flathead, Montana. Chief Peone and many members of the Upper Spokane band of the Spokane Tribe were forced to move to the Flathead reservation.

The Religious Landscape

Although many tensions with white settlers were hostile, relations with missionaries at the Treaty Tree were, for the most part, friendly. Father Joseph Cataldo (1837-1928), a Jesuit missionary, arrived to Peone Prairie territory in 1866 to spread the doctrines of Christianity to the native peoples of the Spokane Tribe. Although Chief Peone and many other members of the Upper Spokane band has previously been baptized by Father Joseph Caruana, Chief Peone was weary about allowing Father Cataldo to set up a mission, largely because Chief Garry, the chief of the greater Spokane Tribe, was a devout Protestant and away on a buffalo hunt. Therefore, Chief Peone was unsure of how Chief Garry would react when he returned. However, Chief Peone was eventually convinced and helped Father Cataldo construct a cabin shortly after he had arrived. The cabin was built in December of 1866, and it would serve many purposes, most notably as a residence and as a church. The members of the Upper Spokane band were very receptive to Father Cataldo’s presence, requesting the implementation of a night school to help them learn the Catholic teachings. In just four months, more than a hundred Native Americans had been baptized.

When Father Cataldo was called back to serve the Coeur d’Alene mission, Chief Peone requested him to stay. Instead, Father Cataldo sent several other missionaries who helped to establish the St. Michael Mission. Remnants of this mission can be found only a few miles away from the initial site, which stood just near the Treaty Tree, at Mount St. Michael’s Academy, first beginning as a church and seminary and now existing as a church and private school. Because of the trust and friendship that was fostered between the Native Americans of the Upper Spokane band and Father Cataldo, he was able to leave an even larger mark on Spokane with his founding of Gonzaga College, now Gonzaga University, in 1887. This friendship was declared with the smoking of a peace pipe beneath the branches of the Treaty Tree and the placement of a white truce flag atop the tree as well.

Ground View Beneath Treaty Tree

The smoking and the flag were to serve as a symbol of the ending tensions between the Native Americans in Spokane and the white settlers. The flag is believed to have stood for twenty-two years, into the very beginning of the 1900s, eventually being destroyed by the tumultuous weather common to the land east of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State. However, even after the truce flag was entirely destroyed, a land deed in 1923 ensured the tree’s protection and the history that it represented by stating, “no hand of man shall molest” the Treaty Tree nor the land around it.

The Rural, Indigenous, and Natural Landscape

As the nineteenth century progressed, more white settlers came to the Pacific Northwest, drawn by the possibility of agricultural success and land ownership. The fertile fields of Peone Prairie proved to be exceptional land for crop cultivation and agricultural production. During his time on the prairie, Chief Peone cultivated seventy of his four hundred and eighty acres for the production of oats, wheat, and corn and the raising of horses and other livestock. These agricultural commodities were sold to the white settlers of Spokane, who were brought into the region by the Northern Pacific Railroad, as well as military personnel who were engaged in the region. This agricultural practice has lived on, as Peone Prairie is largely used for wheat production and animal farming today. This species tree itself was also important to the tribe as a resource. Ponderosa pines are one of the most abundant trees in the Pacific Northwest, specifically near Spokane. For the Native Americans living in the Spokane region, the ponderosa pine was an especially useful resource for both building and hunting. Because the massive density of ponderosa pines around Peone Prairie made camouflage for the tribe easier, Chief Peone and the Upper Spokane band found trees like the Treaty Tree especially useful for drawing game close, making hunting more convenient for the tribe. Although the Treaty Tree stands mostly by itself on the prairie, there are several dense areas of ponderosa pines that served the hunting needs of Chief Peone and his people.

Historical Significance

Today, the prairie is fenced off into subdivisions of private property, largely used for housing and agriculture, known as Peace Treaty Estates. The Treaty Tree still stands at its original site on Peone Prairie, now on privately-owned property. Although it appears to be an ordinary and common ponderosa pine, its historical roots grow much deeper. Starting first as a trading post for the Hudson Bay Company, the Treaty Tree has taken on several roles during its lifetime and evolved alongside Spokane. As a trading post, the Treaty Tree witnessed power- and land-hungry whites encroach onto unsettled territory, an event familiar to much of the western half of the United States, especially as Manifest Destiny became reality. It witnessed the arrival of Jesuit missionaries and housed one of the first missions in the Spokane region, which fostered the growth of the Jesuit-Catholic faith. This is seen with the retention of St. Michael’s Mission and in the friendship made with Father Cataldo, giving him the footing necessary to establish the coveted Gonzaga University. It witnessed the brutal interactions between the United States military and the Native Americans, as they were pushed off of the land their people had occupied for centuries before. It witnessed the signing of several treaties, showing the controversial nature between the white settlers and people native to the land, as these treaties indicate that both parties had equal right to the land in which the whites were settling. In this way, the Treaty Tree is representative of a dark national history, that which is the relations between European-Americans and Native Americans. The name Treaty Tree is reflective of the explicit history of this ponderosa pine. However, the name Witness Tree, given by the indigenous peoples of Peone Prairie, is more accounting of its stark reality. It is reflective of all that occurred on the prairie and in the Spokane area, as a witness sees and experiences all. The Treaty Tree is a symbol of the development of the Peone Prairie and is reflective of a greater state and national history, as it gave the footing for the establishment of agriculture, Catholicism, and a reservation system.

References

Additional References Consulted

1. Chrysler, Dorothy. “Old Mission and Treaty Tree Historic Landmarks in Spokane County.” Spokane Daily Chronicle, January 19, 1923.
2. Indians - Treaty Tree. 1900/1920. Northwest Indians, Spokane Public Library, Spokane. In Spokane Public Library. Accessed March 06, 2019. https://lange.spokanelibrary.org/items/show/878.
3. Spokane Tribe's Treaty Tree near St. Michael's Mission, Peone Prairie, Spokane Wash, 1941. 1941. American Indians of the Pacific Northwest Images, Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, Spokane. In University Libraries. Accessed March 6, 2019. https://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/digital/collection/loc/id/252/.