Tag: coast

colonization, General History, Grand Ronde Reservation, Native Issues, Oregon Coast, Oregon indians, Siletz ReservationLeave a comment

A Policy of Forfeiture of Rights and Annuities under the Peace Treaty of 1853

David G. Lewis, PhD

In numerous essays on this blog I have noted that many of the tribes considered the most violent, and those who had participated in the wars in southwestern Oregon were placed on the Coast Reservation. This was not an arbitrary decision because in 1856 the tribes on the Oregon coast and from the Rogue River basin had participated in numerous conflicts and wars. The Rogue River Confederacy were considered one of the most violent groups of tribes, having participated in at least three wars in southern Oregon, in 1850-51, in 1853, and 1855-56. The Coquille tribes were also considered violent … Continue reading A Policy of Forfeiture of Rights and Annuities under the Peace Treaty of 1853

General History, Grand Ronde Reservation, Native Issues, Oregon Coast, Oregon indians, Siletz Reservation, treatiesLeave a comment

Did the non-ratification of the Coast Treaty cause Grand Ronde to become permanent?

David G. Lewis, PhD

The Grand Ronde Indian reservation was a sudden change in plans for Joel Palmer in 1855. The original plan was to concentrate all tribes on the Coast Reservation within four years, or by 1859. The Coast Reservation, established in 1855 by presidential executive order, was completely undeveloped, with few or no roads, an intractable wilderness with few settlers and a few Indian tribes on the coast. It was not prepared to serve some 4,000 Indians removed from their homelands and under the administration of the federal Indian agents.  So, when the Rogue River war began later in 1855, and other … Continue reading Did the non-ratification of the Coast Treaty cause Grand Ronde to become permanent?

General History, Oregon indiansLeave a comment

A Trip to Tillamook, By Way of the Salmon River: the First Journey of Warren Vaughn

David G. Lewis, PhD

I encountered this history, partially unpublished I believe, in the Oregon Historical Society Library. The published book of his journal focuses on the second trip down the coast to Tillamook and his settlement in the Tillamook Valley (Vaughn, Warren. Till Broad Daylight: A History of Early Settlement in Oregon’s Tillamook County. Wallowa, Ore.: Bear Creek Press, 2004.). There is also a good Oregon Encyclopedia article about Vaughn, based on his History of Tillamook, which avoids mention of this first mistaken journey to Siletz Bay. Vaughn’s first trip to attempt to get to Tillamook is quite detailed and gives much information about … Continue reading A Trip to Tillamook, By Way of the Salmon River: the First Journey of Warren Vaughn

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

coos bay, General History, Oral History, Oregon Coast, Oregon indians, Rogue Valley, Siletz Reservation, Umpqua Valley1 Comment

Indian Catchers of Coastal Oregon 1850s

David G. Lewis, PhD

A truly remarkable fact of Oregon history presented itself while conducting some coastal research. In 1856 and for years after, the Indian agents employed and contracted with enterprising individuals to seek out and capture Indians still remaining in the lands or escaped from the reservations, and return them. The image recalled when hearing about this profession, is that of the Child Catcher in the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In the movie, this truly evil character went around German towns hunting down children to imprison them, using candy for enticement. The Child Catcher is perhaps a direct reference to how the … Continue reading Indian Catchers of Coastal Oregon 1850s