In the mid–19th century, the rainy shores of Puget Sound were among America's last frontiers--and the site of a brief but fierce war fought in 1855–1856 between the Nisqually tribe and the territory's militia and army. With vivid detail, Kluger (Simple Justice) examines the encounter, beginning with the benchmark 1853 treaty of Medicine Creek and its ambitious architect, Gov. Isaac Stevens, who "bloodlessly wrested formal title to 100,000 square miles." Despite scant source materials, the author sketches a portrait of Leschi, the Nisqually chief, whose resistance to the treaty placed him in direct confrontation with Stevens. After Leschi's arrest for allegedly killing a militiaman, Stevens engineered the chief's 1856 prosecution--and ultimate conviction and execution. (Leschi's final statement is heartrending: "I do not know anything about your laws, I have supposed that the killing of armed men in war time was not murder. If it was, then soldiers who killed Indians were guilty of murder too.") The conclusion, the 2004 exoneration of Leschi's actions by an unofficial historical court, followed by the launch of the tribe's Red Wind casino, winds up being a redemptive postscript to an affecting chapter of regional history. (Mar.)
More than just another tragic story of the American Indian, more than a story of victory and defeat, of good and evil. . . . A powerful human story, as necessary today as ever.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
“An eloquent account of a massacre’s legacies as well as its history.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“By focusing on one tribe’s historic struggle, Kluger shines a light on our nation’s deplorable treatment of its native people.”
—The Seattle Times
“Meticulously researched, elegantly written and sophisticated, the book uses this all but forgotten episode in American history to give a human face to the injustices visited on Indians in treaty-making, on the battlefield and, surprisingly, in the courtroom.”
—Minneapolis Star Tribune
“A close and fascinating look at one treaty. . . . With precision and vigor, Kluger examines the circumstances of the crime and trials.” —The Oregonian
“Colorful. . . . Kluger’s recitation of these events can be seen as an upbeat refusal to treat a historical tragedy as irredeemable. . . . He’s canny enough to realize what’s lost in a one-sided telling, and compassionate enough to make sense of the doings on all sides.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“The Puget Sound used to belong to a handful of small tribes including the Nisqually, whose chief in the 1850s welcomed the arrival of whites who wanted to fish, farm, and cut timber. What happened next is the harrowing story told by Richard Kluger in The Bitter Waters of Medicine Creek, named after the one-sided treaty that stole the homeland of the Indians. Kluger is a careful researcher and skilled narrator who confronts the injustice of this land-theft head-on, but ends his tale on a note that cannot be called sad.”
—Thomas Powers, author of The Killing of Crazy Horse
“Kluger’s aim in providing the particulars of this tragedy [is] to help readers conceive the depth of the pain visited upon American Indians by white conquest. . . . This account’s chief value is in its vivid illustration of an important but overlooked chapter in our region’s history.”
—Tacoma News Tribune
“It’s probably politically incorrect to say so, but Richard Kluger’s exquisite recreation of this little known case of historical injustice against the Native American Nisqually tribe and their chief, Leschi, is as gripping as the bloodiest tale of cowboys and Indians. What’s more, along the way, this investigative history raises and profoundly illuminates the critical moral, political, and legal issues involved.”
—Victor Navasky, author of Kennedy Justice
“Kluger’s solidly sourced narrative and its tenor of indignation will captivate readers of frontier and American Indian history.”
—Booklist
“A vivid portrait of the tragic patterns that defined white settlement and Indian resistance across the American continent. Trust betrayed, white mendacity and vainglory, brutality on both sides—all make for a deeply moving and unforgettable story.”
—Kate Buford, author of Native American Son
“Well-researched and beautifully written. . . . Valuable for those interested in how the final stages of the concept of Manifest Destiny played out.”
—Library Journal
“Richard Kluger relates how the West was won—that is, the ongoing white conquest of Native America—in a book of extraordinary scholarship, insight, and sensitivity. This is a tragic narrative, replete with unfulfilled promises, forced removals (ethnic cleansing), betrayals, judicial murders, and the sham of treaty making. Vividly told, it is an engrossing read, and the voice of the losers is omnipresent and eloquent.”
—Leon Litwack, author of Trouble in Mind
Pulitzer Prize-winning (Ashes to Ashes) author Kluger (www.richardkluger.com) applies his solid research and writing skills to this compelling story of the 1853–57 conflict between expansionist America and the Native Americans of the Puget Sound region of Washington State. Kluger focuses on key personalities, in particular the first Washington State governor, Isaac Ingalls Stevens, and Leschi, chief of the small Nisqually nation. As often happened in these encounters, the Puget Sound Indians were persuaded to turn over their ancestral lands to the federal government and were relocated to reservations on poor land unsuitable for hunting, fishing, or grazing. The inevitable result was rebellion and violence, ending with Leschi's murder conviction and execution. An interesting epilog covers the 2004 retrial that posthumously exonerated Leschi. Voice actor Alan Sklar's (see Behind the Mike, LJ 3/1/09) solemn narration enhances this fascinating albeit painful reminder of the sordid, shadowy history of the U.S. government's oppression of Native Americans. Essential for history buffs and teachers. ["Well-researched and beautifully written…recommended for readers interested in the history of the Pacific Northwest," read the review of the Knopf hc, LJ 1/11.—Ed.]—Dale Farris, Groves, TX
A brief but fierce war between the Nisqually tribe and the Washington territorial militia in 1855-1856 is the focus of this work. The book also offers an interesting portrait of the territory itself and the key players in its earliest history. In particular, Kluger explores the background of Governor Isaac Stevens and shows how his ambition and personal beliefs shaped his relationship with the indigenous people. Alan Sklar offers a solid reading, maintaining an even pace without affectation but not at the cost of the drama of the story. He handles the Native American names and phrases with aplomb. Short quoted passages are read with a bit of tonal variation. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
A brief but fierce war between the Nisqually tribe and the Washington territorial militia in 1855-1856 is the focus of this work. The book also offers an interesting portrait of the territory itself and the key players in its earliest history. In particular, Kluger explores the background of Governor Isaac Stevens and shows how his ambition and personal beliefs shaped his relationship with the indigenous people. Alan Sklar offers a solid reading, maintaining an even pace without affectation but not at the cost of the drama of the story. He handles the Native American names and phrases with aplomb. Short quoted passages are read with a bit of tonal variation. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
Intense history of a vicious confrontation between whites and Indians in 1850s Washington Territory.
Pulitzer Prize–winning historian and journalist Kluger (Seizing Destiny: The Relentless Expansion of American Territory, 2007, etc.) writes accessible prose and turns up fascinating obscure records, but readers will quickly suspect that this story doesn't end well. A central figure, Isaac Stevens (1818–1862), became the first governor of the Washington Territory in 1853. His major task was to facilitate white settlement by removing indigenous tribes. To achieve this, he sent representatives to survey their lands and, with no tribal input, choose a reservation. After drawing up a written contract, they called tribes together to feast and listen to whites extol its benefits, including promises of schools and farm equipment. Kluger points out that the Indians were illiterate, did not understand contracts and had no concept of land ownership. Despite their unease, most—according to white observers—signed. One leader, Leschi (1808–1858), protested and organized resistance during the 1855-6 Puget Sound War but was defeated, captured and, despite appeals from some whites, hung (though obviously useless to him, Leschi was exonerated in 2004). Forced onto tiny reservations, the tribes sunk into poverty, and their number dwindled. By the end of the 20th century, most whites agreed that they had treated the tribes badly, and legalization of Indian casinos has stimulated some prosperity for the survivors. Kluger does not conceal his indignation, painting a portrait of the whites as greedy, materialistic and racist, with a few ineffectual exceptions. The tribes are portrayed as modest hunter-gatherers, devoutly in tune with nature.
An accurate narrative, but the lack of nuance makes for a painful account that will keep readers gnashing their teeth throughout.