Want more on Chief Seltice? Here you go

Should area residents want to obtain a more complete historical overview of some of the topics in Syd Albright's recent column on Chief Andrew Seltice, they may want to reference the "Saga of the Coeur d'Alene Indians," Kowrach and Connolly, Ye Galleon Press, Fairfield, WA, 1990.

As many Post Falls residents know, head Chief Andrew Seltice lived in the Spokane Valley near Saltese Lake. His father, Moses Seltice, lived in the Post Falls area known as "Q'emiln." Based on Native and white accounts, Frederick Post had approached Moses Seltice many times concerning the sale of the lands around the falls.

What might be part of the discussion would be the ways in which the two cultures view the land. Land ownership and land use are viewed differently. The balance of those two interpretations, continue to this day. With the government's westward exploration, change to the tribal homelands came from a variety of fronts. Military road construction, mining and settlement, all impacted a land mass that had been Coeur d'Alene homeland.

Family histories and historians have put together the chronology of Frederick Post. A "founder's display" at the Post Falls City Hall gives an overview of some of Post's economic development activities, and the city of Post Falls' work with Avista pieces together more of the town's early economic development near the falls.

Post and his family lived first in Rathdrum and later Spokane (area's first flour mill). He returned to what became "Post's Falls" after 1878. He had offered his lumber mill equipment to the U.S. Army for Fort Coeur d'Alene (Fort Sherman) around that time. They thought it was overpriced. Around that time, many Coeur d'Alene tribal families chose to move south, since they had no title to their homeland, or any legal standing for the homes they had built.

By 1880, Post had developed the water power site for a lumber mill in what later became Post Falls. Because of those pioneer efforts, Post is considered the "father of commercial lumbering for the area." After Frederick Post moved to Post Falls, he built several homes. His son-in-law, daughter and grandchildren (Martin family) continued to impact the town. His other daughters married early area pioneers, whose names remain in the region, including Havermale, Dart, and Wood.

As to Treaty Rock, the National Historic Register research indicates that the site is listed not because of any historic credential, but an archaeological one. Please visit the Treaty Rock, its pictographs and petroglyphs and enjoy the signage there involving two cultures, and some of the area's oldest story preserved in an outdoor setting. There is no evidence that any treaty or agreement being signed there. However, there is a reference to the date, June 1, 1871, and Frederick Post in the final version of 1889 Treaty with the U.S. government (a written document). The Coeur d'Alenes, chiefs and headmen did sign treaties at Cataldo (1858) and Desmet (1889).

After years of negotiations with the U.S. government, the Coeur d'Alene Tribe found more and more of their original homeland being settled and whittled away. Andrew Seltice and the headmen of the tribe did sign the 1889 treaty, and one week later Seltice signed an addendum to the treaty involving Frederick Post. From a political standpoint, having this inclusion in treaty negotiations, may have helped both the Tribe and Post. Idaho was moving from a territory to statehood. After passage of the treaty, Post had the land surveyed, and sold off portions of the land surrounding the falls.

Historians surmise that Post and the Tribe had good business relations. In fact, from a local oral history interview with one of our oldest local residents, I learned that when Frederick Post died, members of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe rode their horses from the reservation to Post Falls to attend his funeral in 1908. Seltice died in 1902, Post in 1908.

Mr. Albright writes that "Seltice was buried at a private 4 a.m. service attended by only invited family and friends - the location of his gravesite not publicly known." However, G.M. Caruana, S.J. in his "Letters of the Turin Province" wrote: "After his (Chief Seltice's) death it became quite clear how great was the honor in which all held him, because scarcely had the sad news of his death spread than all the tribe rushed to the mission in order to see for one last time their old Chief and to be present at his funeral. This was conducted as solemnly as possible; the body was carried into the church and then from the church to the cemetery about a mile away not on the customary funeral cart but on the shoulders of six strong young men of the first families of the Tribe."

As to the status of the Tribe in Seltice's later years, it was reported in 1893 that the Coeur d'Alene Tribe was considered the wealthiest tribe in the Pacific Northwest. Colonel John Lane reported in 1894 that the Coeur d'Alene reservation surpassed any that he had seen for nice homes and beautiful farms. Upon Seltice's death it was reported in the Spokesman Review, April 21, 1902, "He is scrupulously honest and enjoys the esteem, confidence and respect of all Indians and whites alike... He is wealthy, owning more than 1,000 acres of the best land on the reservation, much stock and money on deposit in Tekoa." But as history tells us, after Seltice's death in 1902, the 1909 Allotment act saw more lands opened to white settlement by the U.S. Government.

Residents continue to interpret the actions of the Seltice and Post families. The name Seltice (Saltese, Seltisse) can be found in the present states of Montana, Idaho and Washington. The Post family economic activities can be found in Illinois, Washington and Idaho. Post Falls' early history was impacted by these historic figures. Just as in our early days, land use, land ownership, and the respect of individuals in their business, government and civic affairs continue.

There are many sides to our local history, particularly as to how people face change and challenge. Read official documents. Enjoy and visit our local sites and area museums. Connect and share some of the dots in the preservation of your own family story, and share them with local historic preservation organizations.

Kim Brown is a longtime member of the Post Falls Historical Society, currently serving on its Board of Directors. She has been involved in the oral video history of Post Falls residents, and has been involved in several historic preservation projects including the Q'emiln Quest program for fourth-grade students in Post Falls, historic signage in Post Falls, and developing the criteria Post Falls inclusion in the Idaho City Heritage program. She has received "Friend of History" awards from the Society and the Museum of North Idaho.