Camas Plant, drawn by Gustavus Sohon, 1854.
This file appears in: The Steptoe Defeat, 1858
Camas is a relative of the hyacinth and a traditional food for the native peoples of this area. A group of Indians were digging Camas root, as they did each year in the spring, when Steptoe came upon them.
Image drawn by Gustav Sohon and Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institute.
This file appears in: The Steptoe Defeat, 1858
The Steptoe Defeat, 1858
Virginia native Edward Jenner Steptoe graduated from West Point in 1837. His first military service was in Florida against the Seminole Indians. He also fought in the Mexican War. In 1854 he became commander of Fort Walla Walla in Washington…
