Reservation Era Begins 1850-1878

1856

Grande Ronde River Valley Massacre of Cayuse and Walla Walla (Oregon)

Cayuse tribe. Image: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
Cayuse tribe. Image: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

Colonel Benjamin Shaw and his Washington volunteer army massacre 60 Cayuse and Walla Walla tribal people who are camped peacefully. The majority killed are women, children, and elderly men (“List of Indian massacres”).

Traumatic Event