Dawes Act

Dawes Act is an Idaho historical marker in Benewah County, dedicated 2025.

US-95, milepost 381.15

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A Schitsu’umsh (Coeur d’Alene) agricultural community once thrived here. Some farms were a thousand acres or larger. The 1887 Dawes Act changed that. Schitsu’umsh in the DeSmet area grew wheat, potatoes, oats, and hay—among the most successful Northwest Indian farmers. The Dawes Act, which sought to encourage farming by allotting land to individual tribal members, actually failed the Schitsu’umsh. Implementation began here in 1909. Federal agents assigned 160 acres to tribal members, shrinking many Schitsu’umsh farms to economically inviable sizes. Non-Indians purchased the “surplus” property. Schitsu’umsh lost thousands of acres. The Tribe now works now to buy back lost lands.

TodayHistorical map

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David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Historical maps covering this location

1874 · Map of Oregon, Washington, Idaho & Montana. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1889 · Idaho. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1927 · Spokane, Seattle. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1957 · Tensed, Idaho (USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection)
1981 · St Maries, Idaho (USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection)

Tensed, Idaho, 1957, covering the location of Dawes Act, with a pin at the marker's coordinates — Tensed, Idaho, 1957, covering this location. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

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More markers nearby

DeSmet (‘l’lkhwi’lus)same spot
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John Mullan (1830-1909) (After the Road)19 mi