Pateros in Okanogan County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)
Methow Indians
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 29, 2015
1. Methow Indians Marker
The first to settle in the area were the Methow Indians. Although they moved frequently in summer to take advantage of various foods (berries, deer and roots), they usually wintered less than one mile from the mouth of the Methow River.
The Indians called the river xantcin meaning little rock gate. It was an important salmon fishery and the Methow Indians used weirs to collect fish. The weirs were a method of blocking off most of the river with fencing to force fish through a small opening where they could be caught. They were then smoked or dried.
Horses were introduced in this area around 1730. The local Indians talked with and assisted David Thompson, the first white explorer, in 1811. They also provided him with horses.
About 50 Indian lodges were in the Pateros area when Lee Ives arrived in 1886. In the late 1800s, a newspaper account noted the following Indians in Pateros: Captain Joe, Pinto Tom, Sam Miller (Miller still has relatives here), Old Narrsiciss, and Crooked Mouth Bob (who was pinned to a floor with an arrow through his face, which made his mouth crooked).
Topics.
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Location. 48° 3.177′ N, 119° 54.031′ W. Marker is in Pateros, Washington, in Okanogan County. It can be reached from Commercial Avenue north of Lakeshore Drive, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located along the central walkway of the Pateros Mall, directly in front of the hardware store. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 164 Pateros Mall, Pateros WA 98846, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Washington’s Okanogan Highlands. It is also in the American Mountain West and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Cascade Range, the Pacific Rim, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Pateros in the 1950's (a few steps from this marker); Wells Dam Construction (within shouting distance of this marker); Pateros Veterans (about
2. Marker detail: Methow Indians
More about this marker. Marker is a large framed composite plaque, mounted horizontally on a waist-high metal post.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Pateros, Washington
Also see . . .
1. Methow people. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on August 28, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. "Lost Homeland" tells little-known history of Methow Tribe. Methow Valley News website entry:
In 1879, members of the Methow Tribe lost their traditional territory, home to the Methow and their ancestors for thousands of years, through a transfer of land to the U.S. government that was negotiated without their consent. Lost Homeland: The Methow Tribe and the Columbia Reservation, traces the history of the Methow Tribe from its earliest ancestors through today... (Submitted on January 22, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 29, 2015
3. Methow Indians Marker (wide view looking north along Pateros Mall; hardware store on left)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 22, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,102 times since then and 70 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 22, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
