Muckleshoot Indians.
Muckleshoot is from the native word o’kelcul, but the significance is unknown. The Muckleshoot belonged to the Nisqually dialectic group of the coastal division of the Salishan linguistic family. Muckleshoot lived on the White River, their territory extending from Kent eastward to the mountains, but it seems also to have included Green River. The following names appear applied to bands in their territory: Sekamish, on White River; Skopamish, on upper Green River; and the Smulkamish, on upper White River. Smith (1940) adds Dothliuk, at South Prairie below where Cole Creek enters South Prairie Creek, an affluent of Carbon River.
The Muckleshoot are probably included in the 1,200 “Nisqually, Puyallup, etc.” estimated by Mooney (1928) as in existence in 1780. The Skopamish numbered 222 in 1863 and the Smulkamish about 183 in 1870. Mooney estimated a total of 780 in 1907 for the group above given. In 1937 the United States Office of Indian Affairs reported 194 Indians of this tribe.