Donald McKay (scout)



Donald McKay (1836 – April 19, 1899) was an American scout, actor, and spokesman. He is best known as the leader of the Warm Springs Indians during the Modoc War and American Indian Wars.

Biography
Donald McKay was born in 1836 in Oregon Territory to fur trader Thomas McKay and She-Who-Rides-Like The Wind Umatilla, a Cayuse woman from the Umatilla tribe.

In 1852, McKay worked for both the U.S. Army and the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a translator. In 1872, during the Modoc War, the U.S. Army issued McKay with a temporary commission as captain to lead the Warms Springs Indian Scouts. McKay, met with "Captin Jack" Kintpuash, leader of the Modoc band, in an attempt to end hostilities. The war finally ended with the defeat of the Modoc in the summer of 1873, and the execution of Captin Jack in October 1873.

Following the Modoc War, McKay toured the country with several Warm Springs Scouts and performed in Wild West shows that were popular at the time. He toured Europe with promoter “Colonel” Thomas Augustus Edwards performing before European monarchs and then returned home to participate in the 1876 American centennial celebration in Philadelphia. In 1877, Donald was a part of the 'Texas Jack Combination' formed by Texas Jack Omohundro and debuted in St. Louis that year. Donald toured the U.S with his family to promote patent medicines with the Kickapoo Indian Medicine Company of Boston and later with the Oregon Indian Medicine Company formed by T.A. Edwards. In 1881 Edwards published a biography of McKay titled Daring Donald McKay; or, The last war-trail of the Modocs.

Donald McKay and his family settled on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in 1892 where McKay worked as a translator. McKay died on April 19,1899 in Pendleton, Oregon and is buried at Saint Andrews Mission Cemetery.