When the Grand Ronde Reservation was created, some 35 tribes were moved, or resettled, onto the reservation. Conditions on the reservation were not good for nearly 20 years, and many people chose to leave and find a way to integrate into settler culture. Many were very successful, while others continued to have challenges. The Molalla … [Read more…]
The Northwest corner of Oregon, Astoria this weekend, was very picturesque. A giant bridge silhouetted hills on the north side of the Columbia. Astoria is an old town, with period buildings and very old museum quality houses. The river, ever present flow grey-ily by, and fishing vessels sit out in the waters fishing for hours. … [Read more…]
Recently, I was made aware of another alternative story of the Battle of Battle Creek. Previously, I published an essay about stories of Klamath and Kalapuya warriors involved in the Battle Creek incident. But, as this history has been well revisited by newspaper editors and other writers over the last 180 years, there are additional … [Read more…]
The settlement of Eugene and the whole southern valley settlement centers was guided by advice from the Kalapuyans and the presence of seasonal wetlands on the plains. Two of the first noted settlers Eugene Skinner (Eugene) and Elijah Bristow (Pleasant Hill) both made important decisions based on the environmental factors they saw in the prairies … [Read more…]
The Tualatin Plains The Tualatin Plains was a vast oak savanna. From General Land Office survey field notes there was noted a large number of oaks and oak brush on the Tualatin plains. The whole of the area would have been in the model of an oak savanna with inclusions of other environments, similar to … [Read more…]