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The Nisqually River (IPA: ) is a river in west central Washington in the United States, approximately 81 mi (130 km) long. It drains part of the Cascade Range southwest of Tacoma, including the southern slope of Mount Rainier, into the southern end of Puget Sound.
Course The river rises in southern Mount Rainier National Park, fed by the Nisqually Glacier on the southern side of Mt. Rainier. It flows west along the Pierce-Lewis county line, then northwest through the foothills, forming the boundary between Pierce and Thurston counties. It traverses the Nisqually Indian Reservation in its lower 10 mi (16 km) and enters Puget Sound approximately 15 mi (24 km) ENE of Olympia. It is impounded for hydroelectricity by the Alder Dam, completed in 1944, and the La Grande Dam, completed in 1945. History The Nisqually River is the traditional territorial center of the Nisqually tribe that shares its name and also lived throughout southern Puget Sound. The Treaty of Medicine Creek, one of the major Northwest treaties between Washington territory and the native population of Puget Sound, was signed near a creek at the site of what is now a wildlife refuge near the delta of the river. The Nisqually were moved from the river and much of the surrounding region after the signing of the treaty, settling on a reservation on Puget Sound east of Olympia. After a period of resistance by the Nisqually tribe, including such leaders as Chief Leschi, a new reservation three times the size of the original was established on the river. In 1917, the US Army occupied the Nisqually reservation, ordered people from their homes, and later condemned most of the reservation to build Fort Lewis. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Nisqually pursued their fishing rights along the river, which were stated in the Treaty of Medicine Creek but had been ignored. Nisqually tribal members, acting in concert with the nearby Puyallup tribe, endured harassment and arrest to fish in traditional waters. This led to the 1974 Boldt Decision that granted all native tribes in Washington state the right to 50% of the fish within their traditional territories. Tributaries Cities and towns on the Nisqually | ||||||||
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