Chief Charlo (1831 - 1910)
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Chief Charlo was the last acting Chief of the Bitterroot Salish. He and his people remained in the Bitterroot Valley until 1891. He took immense care and responsibility in advocating for the rights of the Bitterroot Salish to remain in their ancestral homelands. After years of resisting white encroachment on their treaty-protected lands, he signed over his allotment to General Carrington, marking the end of his people’s residence in the valley. In the wake of the Bitterroot Salish removal in 1891, the state legislature voted against the establishment of UM. Two years later, the University of Montana was established. Like other institutions throughout the American West, the establishment of UM stemmed from the removal of Indigenous peoples. In celebrating our achievements, we must not forget the long history of this place, and the communities that called it home long before the university.
For more information on Chief Charlo, visit The Montana Historical Society or read In the Name of the Salish and Kootenai Nation: The 1855 Hell Gate Treaty and the Origin of the Flathead Indian Reservation by Robert Bigart and Clarence Woodcock. For more information on the Salish, Kootenai, and Pend O’reille tribes visit https://csktribes.org/. |