Page 4 - Early Winter 2022 SWHS Newsletter.indd

In 1852 the little town of Coveland – • Wha-cah-dub aka Whea-Kadim or
the first County seat–was being built at Wha-Ka-Dam (1789-1870). He was
San deFuca. (In 1881 the seat would be the grandfather of William Shelton
moved to nearby Coupeville.) (1869-1938), the last hereditary chief
But on South Whidbey, Bailey was of the Snohomish Tribe. He grew up at
clearly the first white settler. Possession Shores until age 17.
Portuguese sailor Joseph Brown would As the daughter of a subchief, a
not arrive at the Snohomish Village of granddaughter of Chief Schope Kadim
TSEHT-sklukhs (Lushootseed for ‘rag- “(Chief) Seattle provided the work- (born 1761) and a great-granddaugh-
ged nose)’ for another 10 years. (The force in exchange for bartered goods ter of Chief Letschk’edeb (born 1749),
villlage, second in size to D’GWAD’wk, supplied by Fay. It’s estimated that as Yabo-Litza was a ‘high-status’ or high-
would later become known as Brown’s many as 700 natives gathered during born woman.
Point, and still later as Sandy Point.) the season to fish and process Chi- Traditionally, Coast Salish tribes had
It would be 15 years before John G. nook, gutting and cutting the salmon three classes: a high-born or upper class,
Phinney started his logging camp and before placing them in wooden barrels a lower class, and on the bottom rung
small namesake town south of Colum- filled with brine, ready to be loaded were slaves from raids on other tribes or
bia Beach. The town would disappear aboard ships bound for San Francisco acquired in trade.
after Phinney’s murder in 1895 and be and the gold rush.” Between 5 and 20 percent of Coast
eclipsed by Clinton, founded about 1883 Unfortunately, much of the salmon Salish villages were made up of slaves,
by Civil War veteran Edward Hinman. rotted on the voyage. The next year who were bound as slaves for life as
Not even Langley founder Jacob An- Chief Seattle went into business with were their children. The Snohomish
thes would arrive on South Whidbey ‘Doc’ Maynard in a similar fisheries had fewer slaves than some of the
until 1880. venture. northern tribes and their villages were
Though Bailey was the first recorded On the Whulge (the Lushoosteed more likely to be raided for slaves by
landowner at the south end, he was not name for Puget Sound) steamboats fiercer tribes up north.
the only white man. Lumber camps be- such as the 1853 Fairie, were just be- High-born women were expected to
gan springing up on South Whidbey and ginning to ply the waters of the south marry outside of their village into other
some men took Indian wives. Sound, but most travel was still done tribes, as a way of ensuring friendly re-
A granddaughter of Chief Bonaparte, by either canoe or schooners such as lations and trade.
Anastasia, was born at D’GWAD’wk the Emilie (or Emily) Parker, the Trav- As was typical of that time, Yabo-Lit-
in 1853. Her white father was listed on eller, and the R. B. Potter. za married young, at age 14 or 15. The
the 1880 Mukelteo (sic) census as hav- tribal marriage custom was an exchange
ing been born in Ohio. Bailey’s First Wife: Yabo-Litza of gifts.
Also in 1853 there was an ad in The Bailey’s first wife, was Yabo-Litza, On August 5, 1855 she gave birth to
Columbian for coopers (barrel makers) (English name might have been Phillis.) a son, Henry E. Bailey, and three years
to come and work at Scadget Head. She was born at D’GWAD’wk in 1840. later, in 1858, a second son named Rob-
Men of the Snohomish Tribe were run- Her ancestry can be traced to 1749. ert F. Bailey. Unfortunately, Yabo-litza
ning a salmon fishery at D’GWAD’wk Her father was S’Sleht-soot (English would not see them grow up. She died
and needed barrels for salted salmon name of Peter) (1793-1871) who was at age 20 in 1860.
which were then shipped to burgeoning one of the subchiefs at D’GWAD’wk.
San Francisco. Her mother was Gait-Choab. Signators of the Point Elliott Treaty
Duwamish and Suquamish Tribes Her five uncles, many of whom were Both Bailey and his father-in-law
Chief Seattle (siʔał aka Sealth) and also subchiefs, were: were signers of the Point Elliott Treaty
Robert Fay, a ship’s captain and for- • Snal-talc an important subchief on January 22, 1855 at Mukilteo.
mer whaler from San Francisco, had a (and later chief) known as ‘Napoleon Subchief S’Sleht-soot (aka Peter) and
similar operation at Elliott Bay in 1851. Bonaparte’ (1782-1874), who accord- several of his brothers and nephews rep-
(This was the same Capt. Fay who later ing to some accounts was born at resented the Snohomish Tribe.
became an Indian Agent at Coupeville D’GWAD’wk His son-in-law Bailey served as a
and whom Bailey reported to.) • Babyar “Babillard” Jeeleet-Skynum government witness to the Treaty.
The WA State Department of Com- (born 1788) The complete text of the Treaty is
merce’s website at http://choosewash- • Chief Tlebsilted aka Club Shelton available online, but its main points are
ingtonstate.com/the-tale-of-two-seat- (1789-1877) basically as follows:
tles/ has the following excerpt: • S’Hoolst-hoot aka George Wilson • for giving up their lands and mov-
(1791-1877), ing onto designated reservations;
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