Questions about Polson’s and the Reservation’s Past
  Researching Local History

Questions posed by English 11 students 9/10/07

Since in 1882 it was illegal for whites to be on the Reservation, what happened to those who came here?

What happened to Indians who left the Reservation?

What activities did people do for fun?

How many Indians were learning English around 1910?

How did the construction of new roads and homesites affect the Indians?

When did it become legal to have liquor on the Reservation?

What tribes lived in the Polson area before the whites came?

Why were local tribes put on a Reservation?

How was Flathead Lake used in 1910?

Who were the first Tribal Council members? When was the first Council meeting?

Why do I hear two different stories--one from my grandma and a different one at school--about early Reservation history?

When Kootenais were put on the Reservation, why didn’t the band that was here join the Kootenai bands in Canada.

What did this place look like in 1910?

Did Indians ever get the benefits they were promised in the 1855 Treaty?

What equipment was used for logging in 1910?

What was the disease that killed so many people just before 1910?

When (and why) did it become legal for whites to live on the Reservation?

Who were the first Indians to settle near Flathead Lake?

When was Polson created?

When did the Treaty of 1855 expire?

Were there problems with whites and Indians marrying?

When did Indians start attending schools run by white?

How much did Indians actually receive for the lands they ceded?

How long have Indians lived here?

Who was the first white to marry an Indian from local tribes?

How many Indians lived here when the Reservation was established?

How many Indians live here now?

Why does skin color matter? Why does one group have to have more than the other?

How many people lived in Polson in 1910?

What were the largest businesses here in 1910?

Who were the community leaders in 1910 and what did they do?

Were there sports here in 1910?

What was the ratio of Indians to whites here in 1910?

Are there still different laws for Indians and whites?

Did the Civil War affect this area?

Was Polson on the Reservation?

Is the Reservation the same size as it was when it was established?

Before 1910, was Polson populated mainly by Indians or whites?

Were Indians wary about creating the Reservation?

In what year was the town of Polson actually created? Why is it called “Polson”?

Why was alcohol not allowed on the Reservation? Why was alcohol such a bad thing for the tribes?

Why did whites want to make decisions about the Reservation since it belonged to Indians?

How did white kids and Indian kids get along?

Did parents of Indians or whites care if their kids were friends with kids from the other group?

Why did Indians have a problem with whites moving here anyway?

How did everyone get along when settlers started moving in here? Did people have equal rights?

Did Indians have to fight for the Reservation or did they just find it?

What wildlife was here before settlers moved in?

What was vegetation here like?

How did steamboats work and where was their harbor?

What Indians actually signed the Treaty of 1855?

Who were the first settlers here and where did they come from?

What were the first businesses?

Why do we need a Reservation?

How were the final borders of the Reservation decided?

What was the main source of income for residents of Polson?

Did people carry guns and shoot each other as in western movies?

When was a school established in Polson?

What hotels were here?

How many people lived here in 1910?

Was Polson started by whites or by Indians?

How did the railroad affect life for the Indians?

What families that were here in 1910 are still here today?

Was Polson a dangerous place to live in 1910?

Were goods expensive in Polson in 1910? What did things cost?

Is the railroad that was being negotiated in 1882 still being used today?

Why didn’t Indians want whites here? Why did they want isolation from everyone else?

When did the Indians begin to have more power?

In what parts of the Reservation did most people settle?

When did automobiles become the main mode of transportation?

Are there buildings that still remain today that were here in 1910?

Why were several tribes put together on one Reservation?

What was the main objective of the mission in St. Ignatius?

How long did it take Indians to adapt Euro-American ways and customs?

How did a person become an enrolled member of the tribe in 1910?

How many reservations were there in Montana before 1910?

When did Indians stop living in teepees?

Why did the Indians agree to cede so much land?

Where did the tribes live before they ceded land and moved to the Reservation?

When did buildings start getting built here?

Why couldn’t the railroad be built around the Reservation?

Are there records in Polson of the people who have lived here?

Who was the first mayor of Polson?

What is the history of the Polson bridge?

What was everyday life like for Indian females?

How did the Indians hunt?

Did Indians have last names?