Category: coos bay

coos bay, General History, Oregon Coast, Oregon indians, treaties, Umpqua Valley4 Comments

Preparing for Purchase, First Indian Agent in Coos Bay, 1853

David G. Lewis, PhD

When Joel Palmer was appointed to Superintendent of Indian Affairs in May 1853 he had a good working knowledge of the tribes but had never visited the southern Oregon coast. He began to scope out and plan how southwestern Oregon was to be managed as there were numerous tribes in that region. His first effort was to halt the Rogue River War which was raging in the area of the gold mines of southern Oregon. Palmer teamed up with General Joe Lane to bring the war to a swift end with a treaty of peace (9/8/1853) and a treaty of … Continue reading Preparing for Purchase, First Indian Agent in Coos Bay, 1853

columbia river, coos bay, General History, Kalapuya, Oregon Coast, Oregon indians, treaties, Umpqua Valley, Willamette ValleyLeave a comment

Timeline of Treaties and Removals in Western Oregon

David G. Lewis, PhD

1850 June, the First treaty in the North West Coast and West Coast, a Treaty of Peace negotiated with General Joseph Lane and the Takelma- Rogue River Tribes lead by Chief Apserkahar (Chief Jo) at Table Rock. 1851 Anson Dart Treaties, Nineteen Treaties unratified Champoeg Treaties- Willamette Valley Treaty Commission The Willamette Treaty Commission, Governor John T. Gaines, Alonzo A. Skinner, and Beverly S. Allen, are assigned the duties of negotiating treaties with the tribes of Oregon on October 25, 1850. Anson Dart at this time is assigned the Duties of the Superintendent of Indian Affairs, to manage whiskey trade, … Continue reading Timeline of Treaties and Removals in Western Oregon

coos bay, General History, Grand Ronde Reservation, Oregon Coast, Oregon indians, Siletz Reservation1 Comment

Estuaries Saved the Coastal Tribes: Section 2- Removal and Exposure

David G. Lewis, PhD

Removal of the western Oregon tribes to the reservations was a tumultuous affair. Caravans from the Umpqua and Table Rock reservations to the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation (also called Yamhill River Reservation) took place in the dead of winter with several people dying on the trip. These “Trails of Tears” removed tribal people from their homelands to strange areas, to them, north of their territories, where they did not know what foods were available, where to harvest them, and became completely dependent on the will of the government to care for them. The strength of Joel Palmer’s negotiations helped immensely … Continue reading Estuaries Saved the Coastal Tribes: Section 2- Removal and Exposure

columbia river, coos bay, General History, Oregon indians, Rogue Valley, Willamette Valley1 Comment

History in the Vouchers: Joel Palmer’s Expense Journal

David G. Lewis, PhD

I have spent much time on Palmer’s and other early settler’s and explorer’s letters that I have gained a good understanding of the history of the tribes.  Some periods have missing details and so much of what I do (and most historians) is fill in the blanks with suppositions about what was probably taking place. I have also avoided some records as been too cumbersome. I have avoided most of the expense reports, as relatively boring documents without much detail. The letters tend to address the culture and changes happening to the tribes while the expense reports and budgets can … Continue reading History in the Vouchers: Joel Palmer’s Expense Journal

coos bay, General History, Grand Ronde Reservation, Native Issues, Oral History, Oregon Coast, Oregon indians, Siletz ReservationLeave a comment

The Significance of Salmon River Encampment in 1875

David G. Lewis, PhD

In 1875, the United States Congress passed an act, March 3, 1875, to reduce the Coast Reservation. This act, terminated the Alsea Reservation, that section on the south, and opened that section to white settlement. The previous act in 1865 (President Andrew Johnson signing the Executive Order of December 21, 1865) had eliminated a section in the north and a section in the center, in part because of the Yaquina Bay oyster rush. This last southern section held the encampments at Alsea and Yachats. The tribes here were the Alsea, Lower Umpqua, Siuslaw and Coos Bay peoples. Federal records had … Continue reading The Significance of Salmon River Encampment in 1875