Category: Siletz Reservation

General History, Oregon Coast, Oregon indians, Siletz Reservation7 Comments

Nachicolcho or Siletz: a Place on the Oregon Coast

David G. Lewis, PhD

The Siletz placename is something of a mystery. Leo J. Frachtenberg, the ethnologist assigned to collect native languages on the Grand Ronde and Siletz reservations in about 1913,  in about 1914 thought the word “Siletz” to be of Athapaskan origin and suggested that the origin is in the word “Si’is/Silet” meaning Black Bear. I have looked at Frachtenberg’s paper on the word numerous times over the years and normally have stated that the word was probably not Athabaskan but instead Salish as the Siletz Indians were said to be Salish/Tillamookans. They were perhaps the most southern of the Tillamookan tribes … Continue reading Nachicolcho or Siletz: a Place on the Oregon Coast

General History, Oregon Coast, Oregon indians, Rogue Valley, Siletz Reservation, treaties1 Comment

Battle Rock the First Colonization on the Southern Oregon Coast

David G. Lewis, PhD

In July 1851, Captain William Tichenor decided to begin his project to colonize and claim the Port Orford area. He envisioned that the establishment of a town at Port Orford would be an entry point for gold miners into SW Oregon. Tichenor originally hired his band of men from Portland, O.T., promising them that the Indians in the region were peaceful. Tichenor convinced his men that they did not need much armament and that arms would only provoke the Natives. He said he had visited the area many times and the Indians were always welcoming. Still his engages choose to … Continue reading Battle Rock the First Colonization on the Southern Oregon Coast

General History, Oregon Coast, Oregon indians, Siletz Reservation, treaties1 Comment

Beginnings of the Umpqua District, Agency, and Reservation

David G. Lewis, PhD

The Umpqua Reservation was located on the central Oregon Coast and was established as a reservation in May of 1856. Previously, there had been another Umpqua Reservation located in the Umpqua Valley, created to hold the Upper Umpqua, Yoncalla Kalapuya and southern Molalla peoples  of the valley, who had begun signing treaties selling their lands to the United States in 1854. In late January 1856, the Umpqua Reservation was the first temporary reservation vacated, and the tribes removed to the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation by late February. A few bands of tribes yet remained in the Umpqua Valley, and they … Continue reading Beginnings of the Umpqua District, Agency, and Reservation

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

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Remarkably Good Health … except for the deaths; Siletz Health report 1863

David G. Lewis, PhD

Reservation Health Reports previous to the 1870’s are fairly rare. there are about two reports a year for each reservation. The annual reports also have some health information, but its generally very brief. The best indicator for the first two decades of the reservations are the census reports. there as a dramatic decline in population for about 15 years. In other essays on this blog I have noted that its likely that some tribes, those from southern Oregon, were insulated from some diseases, being remotely located in the mountains, and only when they removed to the reservations, and began regularly … Continue reading Remarkably Good Health … except for the deaths; Siletz Health report 1863