Town of Seattle Ordinance No. 5

Ordinance No. 5
Board of Trustees of the Town of Seattle
  • An Ordinance for the Removal of Indians
Territorial extentSeattle, Washington Territory
EnactedFebruary 7, 1865
Signed byCharles C. Terry
Date of expiryJanuary 18, 1867
Summary
Expels Native Americans from Seattle unless employed and housed by settlers
Status: Void

Shortly after the settlement's first incorporation in 1865, the Board of Trustees of the Town of Seattle, Washington Territory, passed Ordinance No. 5, subtitled An Ordinance for the Removal of Indians, expelling all Native Americans from residence in the town unless employed and housed by a white settler. Instituted on February 7, 1865, the ordinance banned all Native Americans from living within the town limits of Seattle unless employed by a settler and housed immediately adjacent to their employer.

While the law was enforced by the Town Marshal, it was ultimately unsuccessful at driving the Duwamish from Seattle. Many moved to settlements immediately outside the town limits. The ordinance was ultimately rendered void following the disincorporation of Seattle by petition in January 1867. It was not reinstated when Seattle reincorporated as a city in 1869, although other anti-indigenous legislation continued.