In 1856, after a decade of pitched battles and skirmishes in southern Oregon and along the Columbia River, General Joel Palmer began removing the tribes of western Oregon to a permanent reservation called the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation. That removal was the end of the world, and the beginning of another world for the tribes. … [Read more…]
History just keeps getting better and repeating itself. Apparently the notion of the richest citizens and foreign investors having a controlling interest in the politics of the country is not a new concept. This statement from Senator Crittenden in 1841 really hits the nail on the head. ” Their (foreign investors) object is to increase … [Read more…]
In the course of my research, I came upon this nice little statement from the Congress in 1841, by Congressman Linn. The very same Linn that lent Linn county in Oregon its name. The proposal is to fund an effort to give Americans access to the Oregon Territory. I really must quibble with one section … [Read more…]
Perhaps 15 years ago, in the midst of classes at UO, we studied the hunter-gatherers of the Northwest Coast, also called Complex Hunter-gatherers. Some of the theories did not sit well with me. many of the theories are loosely structured around the notion that these peoples, really tribes of different peoples, did not possess much … [Read more…]
Had a very nice time in Tacoma this past weekend. There were few sessions, the conference was only about a days worth of sessions. But two of the sessions had significant papers on Oregon history. They were all very good. Overall, there were no other native people at the conference that I saw. I became … [Read more…]