The Klickitat War was a conflict between the United States and the Klickitat Indians and the Cascade people that occurred in 1855.
The Klickitat were living along the Columbia River on the plateau in central Washington Territory, on land in the path of white settlement. The governor of Washington Territory, Isaac Stevens, used a careful combination of intimidation and force to compel the Native American tribes of Washington Territory to sign treaties that handed over most of their lands and rights to Stevens' government. When Stevens was met with resistance, he used the troops at his disposal to pacify the region into submission.
The war was fought in the high bluffs that overlook the Columbia River and ended in 1855. The Klickitat and the Cascade people were removed from their lands.
Famous quotes containing the word war:
“The most absurd apology for authority and law is that they serve to diminish crime. Aside from the fact that the State is itself the greatest criminal, breaking every written and natural law, stealing in the form of taxes, killing in the form of war and capital punishment, it has come to an absolute standstill in coping with crime. It has failed utterly to destroy or even minimize the horrible scourge of its own creation.”
—Emma Goldman (1869–1940)