2,187 square miles, or 1.4 million acres, in area, the Colville Indian Reservation is one of the largest Indian reservations in Washington State. The reservation is home to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, comprised of twelve nations, the Chelan, Chief Joseph Band of Nez Perce, Colville, Eniat, Lakes, Methow, Moses-Columbia, Nespelem, Okanogan, Palus, San Poil and Wenatchi. Established by an executive order in 1872, the reservation houses approximately 5000 tribal and 5000 non-tribal members.
Colville Indian Reservation
Several tribes living in the areas now occupied by Grand Coulee Dam and Lake Roosevelt have called this place home for over 11,000 years. These tribes include the Sanpoil, Nespelem, Colville, Lakes and Spokane. For these tribes and others that lived along the Columbia River, salmon was the primary source of food and the basis for trade. Kettle Falls, located 100 miles north of Grand Coulee Dam’s current location, was the second largest salmon fishery on the Columbia River. When fish migrated to Kettle Falls each year beginning in May, tribes from around the Northwest (Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Canada) gathered to share in the abundance of salmon and to engage in trade. Little Falls and Spokane Falls, both located on the Spokane River, were also important salmon fisheries for the Spokane Tribe and other tribes.
Throughout the 1800s, settlers and gold miners from America and around the world moved into northeastern Washington State. In 1872, President Grant established the Colville Reservation by Executive Order and eventually 12 tribes would be consolidated onto the Reservation. It would become known as the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Nine years later, in 1881, President Hayes established the Spokane Reservation through another executive order. It is the home of the Spokane Tribe of Indians.
The construction of Grand Coulee Dam drastically changed the salmon-based culture of the native peoples. It blocked spawning salmon from returning to the upper Columbia River. Rising waters behind the dam submerged landforms like Kettle Falls. This loss of resources greatly impacted the tribes who centered their life on seasonal runs of migratory fish. The dam and resulting reservoir also impacted orchard-based agriculture. Towns like Peach and Plum, originally build along the Columbia River to take advantage of the river irrigation, disappeared beneath the rising water of Lake Roosevelt.
From the US Bureau of Reclamation