A party of Iroquois hunters and trappers from Fort George, at the mouth of the Columbia, journeyed up the Cowlitz River in 1818. One of their party was killed because, according to records, one of the Iroquois group named Oskonton was an aggressor with a young Cowlitz girl. He had been assigned to a beaver brigade on the Cowlitz River. He became diverted in pursuit of a Cowlitz girl who had been left unattended by the men in her village who were away on a deer hunt. He wouldn’t take no for an answer, but she so strongly resisted his advances that Oskonton wound up dead. They abandoned their hunt and made the best way that they could in a retreat back to Fort George (Astoria). They reported to James Keith, the Northwest Company’s chief factor, that they were attacked by the Cowlitz without provocation. Before Keith was made aware of the real truth, the Iroquois returned on a punitive mission with 30 to 40 men, mostly Iroquois, under Ogden. The Iroquois got to the Cowlitz before Ogden and opened fire upon them killing 13 Cowlitz men, women, and children.
Keith sponsored a three-day festival for the Cowlitz at Fort George, and arranged for one of his officers to marry the daughter of Chief How-How. All seemed well, until after the wedding, when the Cowlitz delegation departed for their own territory. However, just outside of the fort they were attacked by a band of the local Chinook, who opposed other tribes dealing directly with the trading establishment. The sentries inside the fort, not understanding what was happening, fired upon all the Indians and the Cowlitz were caught in between the two fields of fire. When the smoke settled, the Cowlitz gathered their wounded and returned to their villages. To Lower Cowlitz Chief How-How this incident was the final insult. He was so enraged that he successfully prohibited them from hunting or trapping the Cowlitz for many years. As late as 1825, George Simpson stated that no reconciliation or peace had been effected.
The Cowlitz had a battle with Chinook Chief Casino at the lower entrance of the Willamette River in 1813. Casino was the Multnomah Chinookian chief. They fired at each other for some time, but at a great distance. No blood was spilled, and the Cowlitz returned home. The Cowlitz claimed that they had 100 warriors, but the Multnomah Chinooks claimed that the Cowlitz had 300 warriors and 40 canoes. It was also reported that the Cowlitz attempted to win over Casino’s allies with gifts of goods and slaves.
In 1825, a Chinook Indian chief of great influence applied to Dr. John Scouler for medical aid. He died later. It was recalled that six months previously, while in good health, he had eaten at the house of a Cowlitz chief who was famed for his skill in medicine. The Chinook concluded that their chief had been charmed to death by the Cowlitz Chief. A Chinook party was sent and succeeded in killing the Cowlitz chief. The Cowlitz prepared for war against the Chinook. Such occurrences as this were often the cause of war among the tribes of the Columbia. It was very seldom that a chief of any consequence died without some bloodshed taking place.
The tribes along the banks of the Columbia River, as well as those on the various coastal rivers, were extremely jealous of encroachments on their territories and generally lived in a state of hostility towards each other.
Alexander Ross once commented on the fact that when it came to war, “every man belonging to the tribe is bound to follow his chief.”
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Roy I. Rochon Wilson was an elected leader of the Cowlitz Tribe for three decades and is the author of more than 30 books, including several histories of the Cowlitz Tribe. He is a retired ordained Methodist minister and current spiritual leader of the tribe. Wilson lives near Winlock.
