Month: December 2017

columbia river, coos bay, eastern oregon, General History, Kalapuya, Native Issues, Oregon indians, Rogue Valley, Siletz Reservation, treaties, Umpqua Valley, Willamette Valley1 Comment

The Original 1855 Belden Map, Compared to the Redrafted Version

David G. Lewis, PhD

In 1855, the United States was on a campaign to purchase all of the land from the Oregon Tribes and remove them to reservations. Joel Palmer, Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Oregon, was working hard to make all arrangements for the removal of the tribes. In January of 1855, he met with the Kalapuya, Molalla and Cascades chiefs and they signed onto the Willamette Valley Treaty. By January 22nd, all of the tribes were signed for the Willamette Valley,  the Cascades foothills, and the central section of the lower Columbia River. The treaty was sent to Congress and was ratified … Continue reading The Original 1855 Belden Map, Compared to the Redrafted Version

Uncategorized1 Comment

Salmon-Skinned Aristocracy: Beginnings of Oregon Statehood

David G. Lewis, PhD

Robert Shortess was an 1839 emigrant to Oregon. In 1843 he was was elected to the Oregon Territorial Legislature in the 2nd wolf meeting (teh founders of Rome were suckled by a wolf). This early Oregon government worked to take control of the territory, from the British. In 1844, Shortess and some 65 other American settlers signed a petition to Congress, largely written and coordinated by Shortess, filing charges in Congress against the Hudson’s Bay Company, for unfair trade practices. Shortess, and co-author George Abernethy, claimed that John McLoughlin, and the Hudson’s Bay Company, took complete control of all trade … Continue reading Salmon-Skinned Aristocracy: Beginnings of Oregon Statehood

Archival Development, Personal History, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Oregon Tribal Newspapers in the Public Sphere

David G. Lewis, PhD

The last eight years have seen huge growth in the availability of Oregon’s Newspapers in a digital format. The Project Historic Oregon Newspapers offers now dozens of papers from throughout Oregon. Many of the newspapers are not offered in their full run, and the available issues may be patchy, but for historians, these media records from the 19th and early 20th centuries are invaluable. The Historic Oregon Newspaper site was created by and is operated by the University of Oregon Library’s Oregon Digital Newspaper Program, and offers a fully searchable database. I have used the site on many of my research … Continue reading Oregon Tribal Newspapers in the Public Sphere

columbia river, coos bay, General History, Kalapuya, Oral History, Oregon Coast, Oregon indians, trade, Umpqua Valley, Uncategorized, Willamette Valley2 Comments

Trade Between the Interior and the Coast; Kalapuyans, Klikitats, Coosans

David G. Lewis, PhD

Previous to the Americans and the British In Oregon, the tribes had numerous interrelationships with one another. Trade was a major part of the lives of all tribes. Some tribes had vast resources, but only in a few items were they specialized. The Chinookans, had vast amounts of dried salmon because of owning the best salmon fishing sites on the Columbia and Willamette rivers, as well as access to all of the trade items in the Columbia River Trading region, a vast trade zone which stretched from the mid-west American plains to the Pacific Coast. While the Kalapuyans had lots … Continue reading Trade Between the Interior and the Coast; Kalapuyans, Klikitats, Coosans

General History, Oral History, Oregon Coast, Oregon indians, Siletz Reservation, Uncategorized4 Comments

Oral Histories of Native Experiences at Yahaats Sub-Agency

David G. Lewis, PhD

Yachats, today, is a tourist area on the Oregon Coast. The area is known for its amazingly beautiful coastline, for sea lions, and whale watching and weekend vacationing. That reputation is in stark contrast to the original use of the location in the mid-nineteenth century as an Indian reservation, a sub-agency of the larger Alsea Reservation within the Coast Reservation lands. The Yachats sub-agency was where Indian tribes from the Coos Bay, Lower Umpqua, Alsea, Coquille, and Siuslaw rivers were relocated temporarily in preparation for permanent removal. This action freed all of the lands around Coos Bay and many other … Continue reading Oral Histories of Native Experiences at Yahaats Sub-Agency