Swan, James G.:

$500 · Offered by William Reese Company

THE NORTHWEST COAST; OR, THREE YEARS' RESIDENCE IN WASHINGTON TERRITORY. The author resided in Washington Territory (actually both Oregon and Washington) during 1853-55. Swan's time among the Chehalis led him to an uncommonly nuanced understanding of forced assimilation, acknowledging its "laudable aim" but nonetheless noting (pp.208-9):"They feel as we would if a foreign people came among us, and attempted to force their customs on us whether we liked them or not....Because we always live in houses, and do our cooking and make our fires where a chimney will carry off the smoke...and believe in the Christian religion, we think that it is right and proper to teach the Indians to do the same, simply for the reason that we think it for their good....Take the whole body of American Indians, and consider the immense amount of treasure and blood that has been expended to civilize, to say nothing of Christianizeing them, then see how few, how very few have become actually benefited.""Most of this book is devoted to the author's life among the Indians of the Northwest, 1853-55, but he also reports on the political development of the Territory during the period. Tweney and other specialists on the region consider this book one of the best of its time. According to Decker, Swan was a 'secret agent for the Northern Pacific railroad,' later in his career, possibly hired because of the quality of this publication" - Reese.

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.