The Chilcotin War, the Chilcotin Uprising or the Bute Inlet Massacre was a confrontation in 1864 between members of the Tsilhqot'in (Chilcotin) people in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

and white road construction workers. Fourteen men employed by

Alfred Waddington Alfred Penderell Waddington (October 2, 1801 – February 26, 1872), during his later years, was actively involved in the Colony of Vancouver Island in what later became the province of British Columbia, Canada. From 1860 to 1861 he was a re ...

in the building of a road from

Bute Inlet , image = Bute Inlet.jpg , image_size = 260px , alt = , caption = , image_bathymetry = , alt_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Strathcona RD, British Col ...

were killed, as well as a number of men with a

pack-train A packhorse, pack horse, or sumpter refers to a horse, mule, donkey, or pony used to carry goods on its back, usually in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of ...

near

Anahim Lake :''The subject of this article should not be confused with Anaham, which is a different community located nine kilometres east of Alexis Creek, British Columbia, which is in the same area.'' Anahim Lake is a small community in British Columbia. ...

and a settler at

Puntzi Lake Puntzi Lake is a lake in the Chilcotin District of the British Columbia Interior, Central Interior of British Columbia. It is located on the western side of the upper Chilcotin River to the northeast of Tatla Lake, and is connected to the Chilcoti ...

Background

In 1862,

began lobbying the press and his political allies for support to build a

wagon road ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings. It ...

from

Bute Inlet , image = Bute Inlet.jpg , image_size = 260px , alt = , caption = , image_bathymetry = , alt_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Strathcona RD, British Col ...

Fort Alexandria Alexandria or Fort Alexandria is a National Historic Site of Canada on the Fraser River in British Columbia, and was the end of the Old Cariboo Road and the Cariboo Wagon Road. It is located on Highway 97, north of 100 Mile House and south of Qu ...

, where it would connect to the

Cariboo Road The Cariboo Road (also called the Cariboo Wagon Road, the Great North Road or the Queen's Highway) was a project initiated in 1860 by the Governor of the Colony of British Columbia, James Douglas. It involved a feat of engineering stretching fro ...

and continue on to the

goldfields Goldfield or Goldfields may refer to: Places * Goldfield, Arizona, the former name of Youngberg, Arizona, a populated place in the United States * Goldfield, Colorado, a community in the United States * Goldfield, Iowa, a city in the United State ...

Barkerville Barkerville was the main town of the Cariboo Gold Rush in British Columbia, Canada, and is preserved as a historic town. It is located on the north slope of the Cariboo Plateau near the Cariboo Mountains east of Quesnel. BC Highway 26, which ...

. He received approval for the construction early in 1863. According to Waddington, it would reduce land travel from to and the total days consumed in packing freight from 37 days to 22 compared to the route through

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

and the

Fraser Canyon The Fraser Canyon is a major landform of the Fraser River where it descends rapidly through narrow rock gorges in the Coast Mountains en route from the Interior Plateau of British Columbia to the Fraser Valley. Colloquially, the term "Fraser Ca ...

known as the

and favoured by Governor Douglas. The

Bute Inlet , image = Bute Inlet.jpg , image_size = 260px , alt = , caption = , image_bathymetry = , alt_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Strathcona RD, British Col ...

Wagon Road was to follow the

Homathko River The Homathko River is one of the major rivers of the southern Coast Mountains of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is one of the few rivers that penetrates the range from the interior Chilcotin Country to the coastal inlets of the Pa ...

valley from its mouth at the head of Bute Inlet, then swing northeast across the

Chilcotin Plateau The Chilcotin Plateau is part of the Fraser Plateau, a major subdivision of the Interior Plateau of British Columbia. The Chilcotin Plateau is physically near-identical with the region of the same name, i.e. "the Chilcotin", which lies between t ...

to join the Bentinck Arm Trail at Puntzi Lake and the mouth of the

Quesnel River The Quesnel River is a major tributary of the Fraser River in the Cariboo District of central British Columbia. It begins at the outflow of Quesnel Lake, at the town of Likely, British Columbia, Likely and flows for about northwest to its conflu ...

. It was also one of the routes considered and advocated by Waddington for the

transcontinental railway A transcontinental railroad or transcontinental railway is contiguous railroad trackage, that crosses a continental land mass and has terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single ...

, which was eventually constructed to what became

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

instead. The Tŝilhqot'in, along with many other First Nations of the Pacific Northwest, had just been devastated by the

1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic Year 186 ( CLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Glabrio (or, less frequently, year 939 ''Ab urbe con ...

. Some colonists saw the epidemic as an opportunity to take over First Nation lands. Many indigenous peoples, including the Tŝilhqot'in, believed that the epidemic had been deliberately spread among native peoples for the purpose of stealing their land, a claim that has largely been corroborated through the historical written record.

Outbreak of violence

The violence began when construction crews on

Waddington's Road Alfred Penderell Waddington (October 2, 1801 – February 26, 1872), during his later years, was actively involved in the Colony of Vancouver Island in what later became the province of British Columbia, Canada. From 1860 to 1861 he was a re ...

entered the territory of the Tsilhqot'in nation without permission, after members of the First Nation had been working on road construction and going without compensation, being lied to time and time again, near starvation. Construction had been underway for two years when, on April 29, 1864, a

ferryman A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...

named Timothy Smith, stationed 30 miles up the river, was killed after refusing a demand from Chief

Klattasine Lhatŝ’aŝʔin (also known as Klatsassan or Klattasine; died 1864), a chief of the Chilcotin ( Tsilhqot'in) people, led a small group of warriors in attacks on road-building crews near Bute Inlet, British Columbia, in April and May 1864. The road ...

(Lhatŝ'aŝʔin: ″Nobody Knows Him″, ″We Do Not Know His Name″), Tellot and other Tsilhqot'in for food. Smith was shot and his body thrown into the river. His food stores and supplies were looted. A half ton of provisions were taken. A

skiff A skiff is any of a variety of essentially unrelated styles of small boats. Traditionally, these are coastal craft or river craft used for leisure, as a utility craft, and for fishing, and have a one-person or small crew. Sailing skiffs have devel ...

was chopped to pieces and the ferry

scow A scow is a smaller type of barge. Some scows are rigged as sailing scows. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, scows carried cargo in coastal waters and inland waterways, having an advantage for navigating shallow water or small harbours. S ...

set adrift, leaving only the cable over the river. The following day the Tsilhqot'in attacked the workers' camp at daylight. Three men, Peter A. Petersen,

Edward Moseley Edward Moseley (ca. 16 February 1682 - 11 July 1749), was a British colonial official who served as the first public treasurer of North Carolina from 1715 until his death in July 1749). He previously served as the surveyor-general of North Car ...

and Philip Buckley, though injured (Moseley was unharmed), escaped and fled down the river. The remaining crew were killed and their bodies thrown into the river. Four miles further up the trail, the band came upon the foreman, William Brewster, and three of his men blazing trail. All were killed. The band also killed William Manning, a settler at

. A pack train led by Alexander McDonald, though warned, continued into the area and three of the drivers were killed in the ensuing ambush. In all, nineteen men were killed. In

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capita ...

, Governor Seymour, just a month into his term, received news of the attacks on May 14. The next day

Chartres Brew Chartres Brew (31 December 1815 – 31 May 1870) was a Gold commissioner, Chief Constable and judge in the Colony of British Columbia, later a province of Canada. Brew's name was conferred on two mountain summits in British Columbia, bo ...

and 28 men were sent to Bute Inlet aboard ''

HMS Forward Four ships and two shore establishments of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Forward'': Ships * was a 12-gun gun-brig launched in 1805 and sold in 1815. * was an wooden screw gunboat launched in 1855 and sold in 1869. * was a composite s ...

'', but they were unable to make their way up the trail from the Homathko valley to the scene of the incident, and returned to New Westminster. A second party of 50 men under Gold Commissioner William Cox went to the area using an overland route, met an ambush and retreated. Brew, aboard HMS ''Sutlej'', along with the Governor and 38 men, went out again to reach the Chilcoltin from Bentinck Arm. They arrived July 7 and met Cox. Donald McLean led a scouting party to reconnoitre. A guide, hearing a rifle click, urged him to get down. He didn't and was shot through the heart.

Arrest and execution of Tsilhqot'in chiefs

In 1864, Chief Alexis and a slave of

met with Cox and were given assurances of friendship by Cox. Tsilhqot'in chiefs believed that they were going to attend peace talks. The next day Klattasine, Tellot and six others arrived. They were arrested. Although denied by Cox, they claimed to have been offered immunity. The prisoners were returned to

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

. Five of the Tsilhqot'in men (Tellot,

, Tah-pitt, Piele, and Chessus) were arrested and charged with murder. They were tried in September 1864 at

Quesnel Quesnel or Quesnell means "little oak" in the Picard dialect of French. It is used as a proper name and may refer to: Places * Le Quesnel, a commune the Somme department in France * Quesnel, British Columbia, a city in British Columbia, Canada ...

at a trial by jury overseen by Judge

Begbie The family name Begbie (orig. ''Baikbie'', 1566. ''Baigbie'', 1594) originates in south-east Scotland, where it is most common in the Edinburgh and East Lothian areas. Begbie is derived from the Old Norse personal name and byname ''Baggi'' + Old N ...

. In defence of their actions, Klattasine said they were waging war, not committing murder. The five were found guilty and sentenced to hang. The day they were executed is now a day of mourning in the Tsilhqot'in Nation. The sixth chief, Chief ʔAhan was executed a year later, on July 18th, in

. The incident cost the colony about $80,000. A petition to the Imperial parliament to share this cost was declined. Donald McLean's widow was given a pension of £100 per year for five years. Waddington sought compensation of $50,000 from the colony, saying that his party had been given no protection. The colony declined, saying that none was requested, and no state could guarantee its citizens safety from murder. Waddington was of the view that fears of the introduction of smallpox was the cause of the unrest.

Frederick Whymper Frederick Whymper (20 July 1838 in London – 26 November 1901) was a British artist and explorer. Biography Whymper was the eldest son of Elizabeth Whitworth Claridge and Josiah Wood Whymper, a celebrated wood-engraver and artist. His younger ...

, an artist attached to Waddington's crew, attributed the unrest to the provision of firearms to the Chilcotin at a time when they were suffering from lack of food. Judge Begbie concluded that the most important cause of the unrest was concern over title to land rather than "plunder or revenge". Others say that the native packers in Brewster's crew were starving while the white members of the crew were well supplied. There were also grievances about desecration of graves and interference with valuable spring waters.

Review of trial

The arrest, trial, and execution of the six Tsilhqot'in chiefs as criminals was challenged by the Tsilhqot'in nation on the basis that the violence was a war between two sovereign nations. The Tŝilhqot’in were acting to protect their lands, people, and way of life from the onslaught of road builders at the time. in 2018, Prime Minister Trudeau stated that the War Chiefs were regarded as heroes to their people. In 1993 Judge Anthony Sarich wrote a report commissioned by the government of British Columbia, on an inquiry into the relationship between the Aboriginal community in British Columbia and the justice system. As a result of the recommendations in the report, the Attorney General apologized for the hanging of the Chilcotin chiefs and provided funding for an archaeological investigation to locate their graves. The British Columbia government also installed a commemorative plaque at the site of the hanging of the Tsilhqot'in chiefs. In 2014, the British Columbia government exonerated the Chilcotin leaders. Premier

Christy Clark Christina Joan Clark (born October 29, 1965) is a former Canadian politician who was the 35th premier of British Columbia (BC), from 2011 to 2017. Clark was the second woman to be premier of BC, after Rita Johnston in 1991, and the first female ...

stated, "We confirm without reservation that these six Tsilhqot'in chiefs are fully exonerated for any crime or wrongdoing." This exoneration was reciprocally made by Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...

, on behalf of the Government of Canada, on March 26, 2018, in a speech to Parliament. During the exoneration speech, the then current Chiefs of the Tŝilhqot’in Nation were invited onto the floor of the House of Commons and provided a drum song. This was the first time in Canadian history that an Indigenous Nation was invited onto the floor of the House of Commons. Clark also acknowledged that "there is an indication hat smallpoxwas spread intentionally." On November 2, 2018, Trudeau fulfilled a promise made in his apology speech in March and became the first prime minister to visit the land of the Tsilhqot'in people, where he made another apology speech, this time to the Tsilhqot'in community and its leaders. Trudeau rode into the valley on a black horse, symbolizing the ones ridden by the wrongfully executed chiefs and participated in a

smudging Smudging, or other rites involving the burning of sacred herbs (e.g., white sage) or resins, is a ceremony practiced by some Indigenous peoples of the Americas. While it bears some resemblance to other ceremonies and rituals involving smoke (e. ...

ceremony during his time there.

In media

Donna Milner uses the Chilcotin War in historical fiction book: ''A Place Called Sorry''.

Bibliography

Notes References * * * * * * - Total pages: 264 * * - Total pages: 558 * * - Total pages: 408 Rothenburger, Mel The Chilcotin War, 1978

Background

Outbreak of violence

Arrest and execution of Tsilhqot'in chiefs

Review of trial

In media

See also

Bibliography

Further reading