Leaders of the tribes living in Willapa Bay refused to sign the treaty, returning to their lands to continue their traditional lifestyles.

Eleven years later, on September 22, 1866, Andrew Johnson[5] issued an executive order that created a reservation at nám̓sč̓ac̓, the location of a former Lower Chehalis village.

[4][1] From 1899 to 1936, the chief of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe was George A. Charley, one of the last people in the region to have a flattened head (as was the custom for noble families in the Pacific Northwest).

[6] Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe remained unrecognized by the federal government.

Eventually, on March 10, 1971, the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe was recognized by the US government, maintaining their sovereignty.

[6] Between 1988 and 1998, the tribe went through a health crisis in which an alarming number of pregnancies, between 25 and 66 percent, were resulting in stillbirths, miscarriages, and infant deaths.

The crisis resulted in increased awareness and federal funding for tribal members' health care.

In February 2006, the American Museum of Natural History in New York was issued a NAGPRA notice, as they held the remains of eight people who were likely of Shoalwater origin.

[8]The Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe is governed by the General Council, which consists of all enrolled members 18 years of age or older.

In the 1990s, the tribe ranked as one of the poorest in the state, with ninety percent of tribal members living below the poverty line.

[6] The ancestral tribes of Willapa Bay relied heavily on canoes for transport, and were regarded as expert canoers.