The Northern bands of Calapooias, perhaps the most affected by the early settlement of the Willamette Valley, the Ahantchuyuk inhabited the prairie east of the Willamette River above Lake Labish at Salem. This is one of the earliest areas settled and became known as French Prairie because of the numbers of French-Canadian/ French-Indian employees of Hudson’s Bay Co who retired from their contacts and settled the area beginning in the late 1820s. This is likely the most robust agricultural areas of Oregon with some of the richest soils. The Lake Labish complex, in general, has some of the best soils … Continue reading Calapooia Band of Calapooias Reservation 1855