This provides the descendants of Wahmaskie, a Lower Chinook Indian who married James Huckquist, a white man. Using census and vital records, as well as Native American specific records, this research provides several generations of her descendants through her son, Dixie James, who was the only surviving heir.
A record of land patent information related to the Chehalis Tribe in Washington State.
The Chehalis Indians, meaning “sand,” are native to the lower Chehalis River and Grays Bay, once occupying territories previously held by the Chinook. Part of the Salishan linguistic family, they were closely related to tribes such as the Humptulips and Quinault. Historically, their villages included sites on the south side of Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay. Their population was approximately 1,000 in 1780 but declined to 170 by 1907, with a census report of 131 in 1937. The name Chehalis persists in various geographical features in Washington.
The Chehalis refer to two distinct Indigenous groups: one in Washington and another in British Columbia. The Washington Chehalis comprises several Salishan tribes along the Chehalis River and Grays Harbor, historically numbered at about 700 in 1806. Key villages included Cloquallum, Hoquiam, and Humptulips. Conversely, the British Columbia Chehalis are a Cowichan tribe residing near the Harrison River, with villages such as Chehalis and Koalekt, numbering 112 individuals in 1902.
The Humptulips Tribe inhabited the western part of Washington State along the Humptulips River, an area noted for its rich natural resources and dense temperate rainforests on the Olympic Peninsula. The tribe is associated with the Salishan linguistic family, particularly linked to the Chehalis. The name “Humptulips” likely derives from the Quinault term meaning “hard to pole,” reflecting the river’s navigational challenges. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, their small population was documented alongside the preservation of their name through geographic features in Grays Harbor County.