Ep 2: The Treaties

Sam & Dams (Episode 2: "The Treaties") opens at Stanley Rock fish camp where tribal fisherman Sam George, his daughter Ionna, and uncle Randy face near-empty nets two weeks into salmon season — a lived symptom of decades of broken promises. The episode traces that local scarcity back to the 1855 Treaty of Walla Walla, which guaranteed tribal rights to "usual and accustomed" fishing, hunting and gathering places. Historian Emily Washeens and elders on the river emphasize that tribes viewed the treaty as preserving preexisting rights, while contemporary transcripts of the council reveal coercion and threats during signing.

From there the story follows a pattern of repeated treaty violations: lost government maps, miners trespassing after gold discoveries, state fisheries laws and industrial canneries that excluded native harvesters around 1900, and massive federal dam projects. Bonneville (1933), Grand Coulee and especially the Dalles Dam (which flooded Salado Falls on March 10, 1957) erased sacred fishing sites and spawning runs. Archival records quoted in the episode show officials openly framing tribal removal as part of development and proposing to "pay them off," while displaced families received scant compensation (~$3,200 per person). The episode balances tribal memories of forced displacement and resistance (including armed conflict and later successful litigation) with acknowledgement that some tribal members see treaty signings as a strategic, if constrained, choice to preserve resources for future generations. The episode sets up follow-ups on court battles and continuing fights over salmon and river management.