The
Kootenai Indians
of Southeastern British Columbia, Idaho and Montana
The Kootenai Indians reside
primarily in Idaho.
Map
of the Historical Lands of the tribes of North America
History
Encounters with non-Indians and traders began in 1795 and early 1800,
when they established trade relations with the North West Company. One
employee of the company, David Thompson, a trader and explorer, built a
trading post and named it Kootenai House. The Lewis and Clark
Expediton reported locating the Kootenai tribe in the Bitterroot
Valley (Montana).
In 1855 The "Hell's Gate" treaty was signed with the Blackfeet, Piegan,
Blood, Gros Ventres, Flathead, Pend d'Oreille, and Kootenai tribes and
the United States.
The Kootenai later moved to the Flathead and Kootenai reservations.
The Kootenai and Salish tribes living on the Flathead Reservation
became the Consolidated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in 1935.
Brief
Timeline
1795: Duncan M'Gillivray, a trader encounters the Kootenai tribe.
Early 1800's: David Thompson, explorer, established trade relations for
the North West Company. He built a trading post named Kootenai House in
1807.
1806: Lewis and Clark Expedition encounter the Kootenai tribe in the
Bitterroot Valley, Montana
1855: "Hell's Gate" Treaty with the Blackfeet, Piagan, Blood, Gros
Ventres, Flathead, Pend d'Oreille and Kootenai tribes.
1855: Treaty with the Flathead
move to Flathead reservation
move to Kootenai reservation
1935: the Kootenai and Salish living on the Flathead Reservation
incorporate and become the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
1947: approved a constitution
*****
How
the Kootenai's fit into our Family Tree
RONDO [RONDEAU], JOSEPH - Rondeau [Rondo in the USA] was born near
Montreal, QC, in 1797.
At the age of 17 or 18, he enlisted in the service of the Hudson's Bay
Company as a voyageur, and was sent to the pacific coast, where he
spent several years in the westernmost outposts of the company's
dominions. About 1827, he settled at the Red River Colony, near Fort
Garry, married Josephine Beauleau (1810 Canada), a half French,
half Kootenai
Indian, and established a farm.
After enduring the hardships of that settlement for 8 years, he joined
the 60 or so refugees who settled near Fort Snelling. Rondo purchased a
house to the west of Joseph Turpin, a house that was burned by the
military when the settlers were forced out in May of 1840. Like many of
the others, Rondo and his family moved up to St. Paul, where he
purchased the property and unfinished cabin of Edward Phelan, then
serving in prison for the murder of John Hays. They lived there for a
season or two while building a more suitable house.
He attended the Stillwater Convention in 1848. He and Josephine had at
least 9 children: Mary Ann, Josephine, Lucien (1836 MN) Pierre (1838
MN), Louis Alexis, Philemon (1840 MN), Joseph (1842 MN), Benjamin (1845
MN), Eugene (1848 MN), and Julie (Feb 1850 MN), and their descendants
are numerous in St. Paul, Little Canada, White Bear, Centerville, and
other northern suburbs. Rondo died in 1895. A very famous street in St.
Paul was named for him. His real estate holdings were valued at $500 in
1850. [WM104ff,LR2709, MN50] Check out the Fort Snelling website at http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/hfs/history.html
or http://www.historicfortsnelling.org/history
Links
to more information