Though the decisive battle took place a couple of miles to the north, this monument has been placed beside Highway 2 to make it easily accessible. The Battle of Spokane Plains was the battle which ultimately ended the Yakima Indian War, which went on sporadically from 1855 to 1858.
The battle took place on September 5th, 1858 between forces of Colonel George Wright and forces of the Yakama, Walla Walla and Cayuse tribes, with the tribes being decisively routed. This battle is often referred to as the Battle of Four Lakes. After the battle 24 of the chiefs were executed and the tribes placed on permanent reservations, ending almost four year of hostilities between the whites and, primarily, the Yakamas.
SPOKANE PLAINS MONUMENT, 30.5 m., a rustic stone pyramid, nine feet high, commemorates the SITE OF THE BATTLE OF SPOKANE PLAINS, fought on September 5, 1858. Rumors that the Mullan Road would bring a flood of whites into the region had caused an uprising of allied Coeur d’Alene, Palouse, and Spokane Indians. Colonel George Wright, with 700 men, decisively defeated the Indians at this point after a running battle from Four Lakes (see Tour 6b).
From the Washington: A guide to the Evergreen State, Page 309