Charlo, Montana is located off of Highway 93 North between St. Ignatius and Ronan. The small town is named for Chief Charlo whose name was Little Claw of a Grizzly Bear Charlo( Slem-hakkah). He was born about 1830, in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana. The son of Salish chief Victor, he became the tribe’ s hereditary leader upon his father’ s death in 1870. For 40 years he defended Salish treaty rights against the machinations of the federal government. By the signing of the Hellgate Treaty in 1855 the United States government considered efforts to place the Salish on a reservation in the Bitterroot Valley, their ancestral homeland. In 1871, a Presidential Order categorically directed their removal to the Flathead Reservation. The next year, an agreement, signed by sub chiefs Arlee and Adolf, to effect the removal. Although Charlo never signed the document, published versions included his mark. When Arlee led part of the tribe to the Jocko agency, Charlo and several hundred Salish followers remained in the Bitterroot.
During the 20 years of negotiations with the federal government Charlo maintained his stand on the tribe’ s legal right to a home in the Bitterroot Valley. Finally, in 1891— because his followers continued to suffer— Charlo reluctantly agreed to leave the Bitterroot in return for the special care of his people. For three days in October, Charlo led his Salish contingent on Montana’ s own“ Trail of Tears” to the Flathead Reservation. Charlo died on January 10, 1910, a Salish Patriot.
To the left a photograph of Ninepipes and above Charlo, Montana by S. F. Roberts
The West Old & New Page 5