Chief Conley's Skull Stolen and Repatriated

November 26, 2025Heritage

Source: Signs of Lost Civilization in Pacific Northwest United States by DeDunking

Site mentioned

📍 Fort Vancouver

Chief Concomly (Khan Comy), a famed Chinook leader who died in 1830 of smallpox, had his elongated skull stolen and sent abroad for scientific study. Dr. Meredith Gairdner, Hudson's Bay Company physician at Fort Vancouver, obtained the skull around 1835. Eventually acquired by the Smithsonian, it was repatriated and reburied by the Chinook in 1972. A second Chinook skull was also obtained by ornithologist John K. Townsend in 1836.

Key facts

Chief Conley (Khan Comy) was a famous Chinook leader who died in 1830
In 1834, Dr. Meredith Gardner stole his skull from Fort Vancouver
The skull was shipped to England and remained there until 1952
It was then sent to the Smithsonian and held until 1972
It was finally repatriated and reburied by the Chinook in an undisclosed location
A second Chinook skull was obtained in 1836 by ornithologist John K. Townsend and sent to Samuel G. Morton