Nomination (PDF)
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... L / /."? ",/I! .lJ_-WP~..2 J . ST A T F.: Form 10·300 UNITED SlATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Washington. COUNTY' , NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES Spokane INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONL y ENTRY NUMBER \ DATE (Type all entries - complete applicable sections) \ . " . .. :c ••.•. .. .... " .. : '" ..... •..........•......... ". II: tNAML" .>".:c.:c :C." .....,.....: .. ,. COMMON: Battle of Spokane Plains State Park ANO/OR HISTORIC: ., '",.,,:C .. \ .. ....',., .: ::c .•.. -. ..... \2,\ tOCATI!'Ni':' .. '.' . STREET ANI:' NIIUR~"': 12 miles west of Spokane on U.S. 2 across from the entrance to Fairchild_ fc,·, Air Force Base rsi I CODE 1COUNTY: \ eOOE Spokane r063 Washington 5.3\ • \ . ...... : .. :C 13. CLASSIFICATION. ..... .'.....'.·~:~.2::;7 .",,:•.•...:.:':' ACCI¥SIBLE CATEGORY ST A1US OWNERSHIP TO THE PUBLIC (Ch~c" One) % Yes: District Building Public Public Acquisition: 0 Occupied 0 0 IX! R:.tricted ,0". In Procell 0 o Site Struc'tur. 0 Prlvat. 0 at Unoccupied ~ c. Unrestricted 8.1"9 Con.ld.red IJl Object 0 Both 0 o Pr.servation work 0 N. In progr •• s 0 PRESENT USE (Check One or Mote ~$ Apptoprl~te) Park Transportation o Comments 0 Agricultural 0 Government l3i! 0 o Commercial 0 Industrial 0 Prlvat. R.lidence o Other (Speclfy) 0 Educational 0 Military 0 Religious c 0 Entertainmen' 0 Museum 0 Scientific .... '" OWNEROF PROPERTY.' ..... -'. •. :c,'.'.: ,.·.·,;··;c:c'i{'·. '.' :.....,....:.. ..•..••.« .:/ ";.' .. :'.:': % 14: IOWNER S NAME: • ::E .. !>J ..• vlashinr,tonState Parks and Recreation Deoartment m w STREET AND NUMBER: zr -"'" w Box 1128 STA TE: I CODE '"~ CITY OR TOWN: 0 '" 01;[ffi.J~i..?___ ._____ .. ilashim,ton 15'3 . '" ~~CA"TIONOF LEGAL!DESCRIPT~ON ..... '.' , n COURTHOUSE, REG,STRY OF DEEOS. ETC: 0 VI c same as ownership ..Z STREE T AND NUMBER: .~< 7C' !>J STATE CODE c t TY OR TOWN: '" \6•. REI"RESENTA:nON}HEXISTING .SURVEYS .' . - TITLE OF SURVEY: .."z Spokane MetropolitanArea Transportation Study -n •-c 0 State County Local DATE OF SURVEY' t"eo. J.~b~ 19 Federol Ill! Ijd Kl Z C Z OEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: '" •< ~" Spokane City Hall " ~C STREET AND NUMBER: • m 0 z N. 221 Wall St. r STATE: CITY OR TOWN: I CODE - c- -< Washington 0 Spokane 5~~- ..• " 17. - OESCRIPTION_-r ~ ·..:;.-~--4.:..,:.'-:-:"'--:..----~-~----__1 (Cheek One) O.terioroted r.J Ruins o UneJl:poud f,:O:::....:E::.":.:.:.:.II:::.:::",_.-::flK::::,G_o_od,-,,_.=D Fair o CONDITION (Check One) (Check One) !Xl Altered o Unoltered I [l Moved DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (II known) PI-IVSICAL APPEARANCE Presently a large basaltic rock pyramid with a bronze plaque. The inscription reads "Commemorative of the Battle of Spokane Plains, fought on September 5, 1858". Another plate on the monument also gives the further information" "The battle of Spokane Plains >lasfought near this spot on September 5, 1858. In which the U.S. Troops under command of Col. George I'lrightdefeated the allied Coeur D'Alene, Palouse and Spokane Indians." This monument and grounds are situated on the nO~1agricultural, huge battle-site. The nominated area gives a commanding view of the flat lands over which the troopers and Indians fough~ \ ---- '" . m m z ..,. -t ~ , c: n -t 0 Z t.. lS3( ~ jQ •. SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD (Check One or More as Appropriate) o Pre-Columbian: 0 16th Century o 18th Century o 20th Century o 15th Cenlury 0 17th Century r}t 19th Century SPECIFIC DATE!SI (lfAppllcab'e lJndKnown) September 5, 1858 AR£A!Ii OF SIGNIFICANCE (Chock ant! 01' More all Apptoprilltr) LJ Urban Plonninq Abor igi"~1 0 Educati on 1<:1 Political 0 p,.hla'oric o En91 neeri ng 1:1 Religion/Phi. [] Other (Specify) D Historic D Indust,y losophy D Agriculture D In.... n'ion D Science D Architecture 0 Londscape D Sculpture 0 ..... Architecture D Socia I/Humon- 0 Commerce D Literature itorion 0 Communications [j Militory D Theater D Cons.rvation 0 Mu,ic D Transportation STATEMENT OF SiGNIFICANCE Colonel George Wright with 700 men decisively defeated the Indians at this point after a 14 mile running battle from Four Lakes. The allied Indians included the Coeur d' z Alenes, Palouse and Spokanes. This battle helped establish o white supremacy fought on September 5, 1858. This ~as the last great Indian fight in the Northwest which started a few days earlier at the Battle of Four Lakes which also I- defeated the Indians. U ::I ~ I- VI z UJ W VI '; l53lB 19, MAJORBIBI.:IOGRAPHICAL.REFERENCES .. ,. All major military histories of the PNW. _ "". lil0:dGEOGRAI'HI(jAI.:~DATA' .'- - LATlTUOE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES LATITUOE AND LONGITUDE COOROINATr;:s I DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A. PROPERTY DEFINING A. RECTANGLE LOCA.TING THE PROPERTY 0 OF LESS THA.N TF:N ACRES R LONGITUDE CORNER LATITUDE LONGITUOE LATITUOE Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minut•• Second. Degree. Minutes Seconds Degrees . Minutes Seconds 0 0 0 . 0 . HW · · " 0 0 . HE · · SE 0 · 0 · <w 0 · 0 . · APPRO)(IIYIATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATEO PROPERTY: one 0,) _ru;_r.e...._m_O!l.\l,m.ent__amL.jl~rk , BOUNDARI ES !LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE QR COUNTY m CODE COUNTY CODE ST It. TE: m COD£ STATE: CODE COUNTY: z COUNTY: CODE STA.TE: CODE COUNTY: CODE .... STATE: CODE ;JCI . -.- - . .;,. •...··c·· " Eil;{FORMP.R EPAREo'B y. ~::>:.:':.",;".:,::c' .... ';:':'~-"".,,:.' "''''. c: NAME AND TI TLEl n William H. Troqdon ORGANIZATION 0m .... Society March 10,1970 Eastern Washington Historical 1 STREET AND NUMBER: o West 2316 First Avenue 'z CODE CITY OR TOWN: STATE I 531 ~ Sookane 99201 Washi 1'2;/~"ATE:I,;IAISON()F FICERCERTI FICA'i'ION'~,/'" "":' . .NATIONAL REGISTERVERIFICATION As the des Ignat ed State Liaison Offil":er for the Na- 1 hereby certttv that this property is included in the tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 <Public Law Nations 1 Re ateter. 89-665), l hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Reats ter and certiry that it has been evaluated accordtng to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service. The recommended Chief, Ottice of Archeology and Historic Preeervot ion level of ~i.gniricance of this nomination is: National Cl State D Local D , Date Name ATTEST, Charles H. Odegaard Title Director VVashington State Parks and Keeper of The National Register Recreation Commission Date Date 75318 SICNIFICANCE Perhaps, one of the most important episodes in our history as well as the most deplorable, is our treatment of the American Indian. But no .matter how one views this treatment, it cannot be denied that the Indian wars which occurred across the country, fulfilled our destiny, our "manifest destiny", stretching the United States land claims from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the State of Washington, for it waS the Battle of Spokane Plains which opened up all of the Washington Ter- ritory for colonization, increasing the population to such an extent that becoming a state was no longer a dream, but a reality. \ Before one can u derstand the significance of the Battle of Spokane Plains, one must first understand the events that lead up to the battle. Clashes between settler and Indisn, was not something new to Washington; but by 1855, these clashes turned in. high-pitched battles. In an attempt to put a stop to the fighting, Governor Stevens convered the first Walla Walla Council; out of this council, a series of treaties were relunctantly agreed upon, by the Eastern Washington Indians and Stevens. Three treaties were established; one with the Z perce, antoher with the Walla Walla, Coyuse and Umatilla tribes, and one with the Yakima's. The treaties provided that the various tribes would cede all their land except a small portion to be used as a re~ servation. In return the United States would provide the head chief with a house and a tilled section of land, and once the treaty has been ratified by Congress, the United States would provide schools and agricultural implements. To illustrate the large amount of land which was to be ceded, one need , only look at the Yakima treaty; for the cersion of land described in this treaty covered about half the present state of Washington. The treaties were relunctantly agreed to by the head Chief of the various tribes involved, only because they feared the ~53[8 .REPRISOLS.,OF Stevens volunteers if they didn't sign • .....,.~'..:»>.. It wasn't long until the Chief;s dissatisfaction gegan to surface. A number of chiefs protested that stevesn would not negotiate any of the provisions of the treaties. T~ unrest was further intensified by different views held by Governor Stevens\i,~neral WooL. The crux of theri difference was that Stevens believed-that under this Walla Walla treaty all of the land, except that provided to the Indians as a reservation, was immediately open to white settlement. While General Wool and the Army believed that absolutely no land could be taken or settled until the treaty was ratified by Congress (as the rreaty was not ratified until 1859, according to Wool all actions taken, to enforce the treaty was unlawful). However, the white settlers accepted Governor Stevens interpretation and began to appropriate Indian lands. By early Autumn of 1855, another Indian war was in progress. Governor Stevens proceeded to put volunteers forces into the field to crush the Indians. General Wool, however, felt that Stevens and his supporters were in the wrong, and he ordered the regular army to protect th- rights of the Indians. It soon became apparent that one of the forces would have to be disbanded. Thus, by the end of 1856, the volunteer army was no longer as operative. A letter written by the Secretary of War on March 3, 1859, explains shy the Volunteers were disbanded: " in the summer of 1856, the "strike" to use his own words, was made by Lt.