Anson Dart, the Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Oregon, from 1850 to 1852, remains an enigma. His nineteen treaties with the tribes of western Oregon, negotiated by the Willamette Valley Commission, all failed to be ratified. Because of the lack … Continue reading Rejection of the Nineteen 1851 Oregon Treaties
The Battle of Abiqua In February 1848, six months after the Whitman Massacre, the settlers in the Willamette valley were very tense, concerned that the tribes would gather together and attack. Many of the men had volunteered for a militia and were in eastern Oregon for the Cayuse War, so additional citizen militia were established in the valley. Ralph C. Geer was the captain of one company, while Don Waldo was the captain of another. The situation became much more tense when 80 Klamath Indians, friends of the Molallas, came into the Molalla area, to Dickie Prairie, and began harassing … Continue reading The Battle of Abiqua, Second Battle of the Willamette Valley
The Klickitat (Klikitat, Clickitat) tribal nation are for many people in Oregon, synonymous with “Oregon Indians.” In fact, Oregon still has stories of Klickitat trails, and a Klickitat Mountain in the Coast Range. Yet, the Klickitats are not originally from Oregon at all. Their habitations in the 19th century were the eastern flanks of the northern Cascades, that section of the range north of the Columbia River. The Clickatats claim a district of country north of the Columbia, but they are a roving tribe and are scattered about in different parts of the territory. Their number is four hundred and … Continue reading Klickitat Bands Colonize the Columbia River and Northwestern Oregon
Robert Shortess married a Clatsop woman in the late 1840s in Astoria, Oregon. He had arrived in Oregon in 1839 and was active around the Willamette Valley for a few years and then settled at Astoria by 1844. He took up a land claim just south of Tongue Point along the waters edge and it is suggested that he inherited other lands and claims from his father-in-law, suggesting that his wife was of royalty. Some sites online suggest Shortess’ wife was Nez Perce, but due to the location of his land claim, and his land rights, she was more likely … Continue reading Lower Chinook Vocabulary by Robert Shortess, 1853
This year, 2017, has shown a lot of growth after the 2016 breakout year, capping two years of amazing histories being written, and an awesome response from my followers. The blog now has over 1,060 followers in various media and over 30,000 unique visitors lifetime. There are now 241 different posts and over 61,000 views of those posts. This year, I have posted 75 articles, with a daily average of 84 views. I am extremely honored to have such a following. Thank you/Qa’pai. The most popular topic, on the most popular day, 1/6/2016, was about the Paiute history of the … Continue reading NDNHISTORYRESEARCH End of the Year 2017 Wrap