Medicine Creek Treaty

The Medicine Creek Treaty, signed in 1854, was an agreement between the United States government and several Native American tribes in what is now Washington state. It aimed to establish peaceful relations and define land boundaries. In the treaty, tribes ceded large amounts of their ancestral lands to the U.S. but retained rights to fish, hunt, and gather on remaining territories. The treaty also established reservations for the tribes and set terms for their continued way of life. It was a significant moment in U.S. Native American history, reflecting both efforts at peace and the complex consequences of land negotiations.