Category: columbia river

columbia river, General History, Oregon indiansLeave a comment

Signs of Burning over the Columbia Bayou

David G. Lewis, PhD

The area of the south bank of the Columbia between the Sandy and Willamette Rivers is of particular interest to the tribes who once lived there, villages of families and bands of the Cascades Watlala. Historically, there is not too much known of the region beyond the records of the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1805-1806. In 1806, the expedition stopped at and recorded several villages of people, one quite large with 25 houses noted on their map. The journals of the expedition record that these villages were the winter villages of the Cascades Watlala peoples. they would arrive in … Continue reading Signs of Burning over the Columbia Bayou

colonization, columbia river, General History, Grand Ronde Reservation, Native Issues, Oregon indians1 Comment

Records of the Cascades Watlala Removal to Grand Ronde

David G. Lewis, PhD

Joel Palmer’s letters during his superintendency lend themselves to a timeline for the removal of most tribes. Palmer penned orders and received reports from his Indian agents, sub Indian agents, local agents and special agents in a timely manner. Work that some may think would take months would be accomplished in a few weeks. There was an inexplicable high level of cooperation among many of these men. I have searched for reasons why they seemed to be able to accomplish so much with relatively little disagreement, no complete failures to speak of, and with great efficiency. The efficiency and ease … Continue reading Records of the Cascades Watlala Removal to Grand Ronde

columbia river, General History, Kalapuya, Native Issues, Oregon indians, treaties, Willamette ValleyLeave a comment

Palmer’s Ledger of Vouchers for the Willamette Valley Treaty

David G. Lewis, PhD

In Record Group 75 (Bureau of Indian Affairs) microfilm are many millions of records of the tribes as they were being managed by federal Indian agents. The M234 and M2 microfilm relate to the Oregon superintendency. They are generally in good order, but some miscellaneous records have been gathered into the final films. These miscellaneous records are not well researched and used in research. Occasions dips into these microfilm can reveal information vital to understanding key sections of history. This is the status of Joel Palmer’s ledger of vouchers. Palmer appears to have ordered created a ledger for much of … Continue reading Palmer’s Ledger of Vouchers for the Willamette Valley Treaty

columbia river, Oregon indians, tradeLeave a comment

Encounters with Chief Kiesno of the Columbia

David G. Lewis, PhD

Chief Kiesno was one of the most powerful chiefs on the Columbia River at the time of the fur trade and American settlement. He was related to tribes throughout the lower Columbia region. He is well documented in numerous encounters with a number of explorers, fur traders, and settlers. His time spanned the whole of the early colonization of Oregon and ends in 1848, when he passes. There is then a transition to Oregon as an official U.S. territory.  It is probable that he is the model for the figure of Chief Multnomah fictionalized by Frederick Balch in his book … Continue reading Encounters with Chief Kiesno of the Columbia

columbia river, treaties, Washington Territory1 Comment

Waukikum Treaty of 1851

David G. Lewis, PhD

Treaty between the Waukikum tribe and the United States, negotiated by Anson Dart, Superintendent of Indian Affairs. The treaty negotiations at Tansey Point on the Columbia River were all arranged by Robert Shortess who was appointed special subagent. Dart was assisted by Henry Spalding agent, and Josiah Parrish sub-agent. The treaty was among 19 treaties negotiated by Dart and the Willamette Treaty Commission in 1851. None of these treaties were ratified by Congress. Dart accompanied the treaties to Washington, D. C. and gave the Senate a means of moving forward, by notifying them that all lands in the Willamette Valley … Continue reading Waukikum Treaty of 1851