Nine Snohomish headmen signed the Point Elliott Treaty which was written by a council held for 1855 near present-day Mukilteo. About 350 Snohomish and their allies, the Snoqualmies, were represented by Chief Patkanim, who had originally been hostile to Americans, but had become impressed by their potential power. Patkanim allied himself with the Americans during the Indian War of 1855-1856, while most of the other Snohomish leaders had remained neutral. This neutrality prompted an Indian agent in February 1856 to recommend that Isaac Stevens, territorial governor and Superintendent Indian affairs, disbanded the tribe, since they were "doing nothing for us." As a result, the Snohomish and other neutral Indians were removed to other areas on the Puget Sound, including Fox and Whidbey Islands and Port Gamble in the Kitsap Peninsula.