Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Nisqually

                                             Hudson’s Bay Company at Fort Nisqually

By Abbi Wonacott

Acknowledgment and respect for Nisqually historian Cecelia Carpenter

During the 1790s, European explorers ventured near the waters and lands of the Nisqually People.  As they made their way down the Salish Sea (Puget Sound), the Spanish and British had little contact with the Nisqually People. However, the Nisqually People had been watching in secret. They were aware of the potential harm these strangers could cause. 

     Many Native Americans had perished from the spread of disease from direct contact or from others who had been in contact with Europeans. Entire villages disappeared as large populations of Native Americans succumbed to slow, agonizing deaths with no cure from the diseases of smallpox, measles, and influenza.

     As they charted the sound, British Captain George Vancouver and his men came, re-named already-named waters and landforms before sailing back to their home countries.  Capt. Vancouver called Ta-co-bet Mt. Rainier in honor of his friend Peter Rainier, a man who was never in the Salish Sea and never laid eyes on the mountain.

     The explorers not only mapped the area, but also documented plant and animal life.  They brought all this “new” information back to Europe.  Shortly after that, European companies realized they could make huge profits from fur-bearing animals that were abundant in the area.

     As early as the late 1700s, trapping beaver, sea otters, and other furs was big business in the Pacific Northwest, and the largest was the British-owned Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). The HBC expanded fur trading up the west coast from Ft. Vancouver by forming the Columbia District to oversee its operations in Oregon Country, including Washington State.  This expansion was the reason HBC created Ft. Nisqually. Established in 1833, Ft. Nisqually was the first European trading post on Puget Sound. The fort was located near the mouth of the Nisqually River Delta, in the vicinity of the present-day town of DuPont, Washington, and adjacent to the village home of the Sequalitchew Nisqually People.   The fort's main export was beaver pelts.  In Europe, workers known as “hatters” used mercury to process fur into top hats, coats, and other products. The mercury fumes caused brain damage, giving birth to the expression “mad as a hatter” or “mad hatter.” The British made huge profits but did not consider the high cost to the Nisqually People's economy and lifestyle. The Chief Trader Archibald MacDonald returned with surgeon Dr. William Fraser Tolmie and seven men to begin the work.

The fort employed Native American men and women (including Nisqually and Puyallup People) to keep it running and supply food for their employees. Women worked mostly in planting, harvesting, cleaning, and cooking. Men tended the sheep and other livestock, as well as performing various manual labor tasks, including lifting, transporting, chopping wood, and building. Of the Nisqually People, brothers Leschi and Quiemuth took jobs guarding the horses against theft or wild animals.  They lived with their families on the Yelm Prairie. In addition to employing Native Americans, Fort Nisqually also hired Scottish, English, French Canadians, Hawaiians (also known as Kanakas), and “Metis” (children of HBC employees and their Native American wives). Fort Nisqually evolved from a humble trading post into an international trading hub.  But with a price.

The HBC offered many men jobs, but caused significant damage to the beaver and sea otter populations, much to the sadness of Native Americans years later.  Julie Cajune of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes shared stories from her ancestors who spoke of the abundance of beaver and sea otter, and later how they were over-trapped. “But how, in a very short period of time...whole populations in regions were just completely gone.”   

The HBC created the Puget Sound Agricultural Company (PSAC) in 1838.  They had a contract to supply food to the Russian-American Company (RAC) and sought to expand their claim to the Northwest even further. Primary PSAC operations centered at Fort Nisqually and Cowlitz Farm near present-day Toledo, Lewis County.  The soil around Ft. Nisqually was not suitable for mass farming, unlike that at Cowlitz. It was great for grazing. The company focused on raising more livestock, primarily sheep and cattle.  Critical PSAC farms (called stations) were Tlithlow near the south end of Spanaway Lake, Muck Precincts in the Elk Plain area, and Tenalquot Precinct in Thurston County south of the Nisqually River. The PSAC boundary covered 150,000 acres from Puget Sound to the foothills of Ta-co-bet and expanded the width of the Nisqually River to just above the Puyallup River. Dr. Tolmie, who had only remained a few months in 1833, returned to manage the PSAC and served from 1843 to 1857.

 However, livestock, such as sheep, grazed down deep down to the roots of many native plants.  Many camas fields and medicinal plants disappeared due to overgrazing.  Other plants disappeared forever, ruining the traditional diet of the Nisqually People. Many started planting and eating potatoes instead.

Even more devastating impact of Europeans on Native Americans was the spread of diseases like smallpox, malaria, and measles. The Nisqually had not encountered these diseases and lacked the immunity the British had to combat the sickness. The shortage of Native medicines from the overgrazing of the HBC livestock also took away their ability to heal. Approximately 28,000 Native Americans perished from disease in Western Washington alone.  

The worst incident at the fort occurred on May 1, 1849, when Snoqualmie and Skykomish warriors, led by Patkanim, attacked the Nisqually village on the Sequalitchew River. The Snoqualmie were angered because they believed that Wyamooch, the son of the Nisqually leader La-ha-let, had mistreated his wife, who was from the Snoqualmie People.  A warning horn sounded from Ft. Nisqually, and many went inside for cover.  While Pakanim searched for Wyamooch, the fort leaders asked him to come inside to discuss the problem. Suddenly, a shot rang out.  The gun blast provoked some Snoqualmie warriors, and a fight broke out. In the end, a medicine man named Skeywhamish, another man named Segeass (Stzeeass), the father of Lashanugh (name unknown), and an American named Leander Wallace were all killed.  Others were wounded, and Patkanim and the other warriors escaped to their canoes. Six Snoqualmie men went on trial for these deaths. Two were found guilty and hanged.

     Life at the fort returned to normal operations, and for many, there were benefits to the HBC's business dealings with the Nisqually People. In return for furs, fish, and other raw goods, Native Americans traded to gain muskets, rifles, pots, pans, wool cloth, and many other items.  “Metal objects were of great interest to the Indian population. Cooking pans were a vast improvement over the woven baskets.”  -Cecelia Carpenter. The metal pieces used for arrow tips held firm and pierced their prey more accurately.  Perhaps the most significant innovation was the gun. A musket introduced new methods for self-protection and hunting wild game.  Guns also served to intimidate enemies.

Additionally, cloth garments and wool blankets were highly prized items.  Instead of gathering material and weaving, women could make clothing much quicker and have ready-made blankets.  Wool blankets are still used as gifts in ceremonies and celebrations.  Even objects such as mirrors and trading beads were of interest. Trade beads were used to make beautiful jewelry or were sewn into garments for special occasions.  “Nisqually villages were among those native people who followed the [European] surveyors in their canoes and traded berries, fish, and clams for bits of copper and assorted trinkets.”  -Cecelia Carpenter.

   Another significant influence on the Nisqually People’s life was the addition of horses. Many came from east of the Cascades mountains from Plateau Native Americans (who gained them from the Shoshone Plains People, who got them from the Spanish) as gifts or trades. The Hudson’s Bay Company brought in more horses. Horses increased the distance and speed at which Nisqually men could travel to visit, hunt, or fight.

In addition to gaining trade goods, the lives of HBC employees and Native Americans began to blend into a somewhat merged culture. They often blended their cultures in clothing, food, shelter, and other ways. Many HBC men married Nisqually, Puyallup, and other Native American women and started families.  John McLeod was a Scottish immigrant and an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company who arrived in Puget Sound in 1837. He married Claquodate called Mary. She was the daughter of the well-known Cowlitz Chief, Clapat-Swhadawa.  McLeod later became a US citizen, gaining a 320-acre farm east of the Mountain Highway (Hwy 7) at the base of Muck Creek Hill along the Muck Creek (Cougar Mountain. Middle and Rocky Ridge Schools are on parts of McLeod’s old claim). A census taker or an official misspelled McLeod’s name to read “McCloud.” Many Nisqually tribal members bear the name McCloud and are descendants of John McLeod. His daughter Catherine married Daniel Mounts, and they had ten children together.  Adam Benston married a Native American woman named Sarah. Their two sons remained in the area.  The name “Benston” appears on old maps (now Graham, WA), and one can still drive on Benston Kapowsin Drive (260th). Those with the last names of Kalama and Ross can also trace their ancestry back to their HBC employee relatives. 

  Over the years, the blending of cultures between Hudson’s Bay Company employees changed the lifestyle of many local Native Americans.  Many Native Americans began incorporating European clothing into their traditional styles. By the early 1850s, many Nisqually men wore trousers, button-up shirts, and boots, while many Nisqually women wore skirts and blouses. There were no significant conflicts between them. At that time, Nisqually People still fished, hunted, and gathered in traditional areas and were free to follow their beliefs and practices since time immemorial.