Tag: cow creek

colonization, General History, Grand Ronde Reservation, Kalapuya, Native Issues, Oregon indians, treaties, Umpqua Valley, Willamette ValleyLeave a comment

The Upper Umpqua and Yoncalla are Removed to the Umpqua Reservation

David G. Lewis, PhD

A subject which has had little clarity in the past is when were the Umpqua and Southern Kalapuya, the Yoncallas, resettled to the Umpqua Reservation at Coles Valley. The Umpqua and Calapooia Treaty of November 29, 1854 is the treaty of land cession for these tribes and sets in motion the removal of the tribes to a permanent reservation. But that removal did not happen immediately and significant plans had to be made to create the temporary Umpqua Reservation, and develop it to the point that the tribes may be removed there. The illustration of this process and event was … Continue reading The Upper Umpqua and Yoncalla are Removed to the Umpqua Reservation

Anthropology, General History, Oral History, Oregon indians, Umpqua Valley3 Comments

Native Details of the Battle of Hungry Hill

David G. Lewis, PhD

As noted by Dr. Mark Tveskov in his 2017 article “A “Most Disastrous” Affair: The Battle of Hungry Hill, Historical Memory, and the Rogue River War” (OHQ Vol. 118, no. 1- find the full text on Academia.com) the battle was one of the most famous for Oregon and perhaps the most disastrous for the Oregon Territorial volunteer militia troops. Tveskov tracked down many accounts for his narrative from newspapers and military sources and was able to show how the descriptions of the battle were altered by some of the narrators. Tveskov remarks that it is likely the case that the … Continue reading Native Details of the Battle of Hungry Hill

colonization, General History, Native Issues, Oregon indians, Umpqua Valley3 Comments

Slavery at Canyonville, 1853

David G. Lewis, PhD

The subject of slavery in Oregon goes back to the first wave of settlers who came to the territory in 1844 and after. These first settlers combined with a few hardy souls who had arrived earlier and had been fur traders and explorers, formed the first territorial laws in a series of Wolf meetings. the Oregon organic Acts set the character of the territory for about 10 years. By and large, there was not going to be slavery in Oregon, even though proponents of slavery-like Peter Burnett, an early politician and judge in Oregon and the first American Governor of … Continue reading Slavery at Canyonville, 1853

General History, Oregon indians, treaties, Umpqua Valley11 Comments

The Temporary Cow Creek Umpqua Reservation

David G. Lewis, PhD

The Cow Creek Umpquas were a Takelman speaking tribe of native peoples related to the Takelma peoples of the Rogue River Valley. The Cow Creek peoples resided in the Cow Creek watershed and parts of the southeastern Umpqua Valley. In 1853, Joel Palmer wrote the first treaty of all Oregon tribal treaties to be eventually ratified by the United States Congress. Palmer, in 1853 was still attempting to get all of the western tribes to move to the Umatilla region of Eastern Oregon. However, the tribes were not accepting of such a drastic move and declined, forcing Palmer to arrange … Continue reading The Temporary Cow Creek Umpqua Reservation

education, General History, Grand Ronde Reservation, Oregon indians, Siletz Reservation3 Comments

Surviving Oregon Native Languages; Online Sources and Links

David G. Lewis, PhD

  Oregon Tribal Languages have been endangered for over 100 years. From an original base of some 100 languages and dialects, the number of surviving languages with speakers has dwindled to about eight. Most tribes do not have many elder speakers and the language programs are constantly searching for funding to help the languages survive to the next generation. At least five tribes have active language stabilization and restoration programs and several tribes teach their language (s) in community groups. A few tribes have a language taught in regular school classrooms. The most advanced by far is the Chinuk wawa … Continue reading Surviving Oregon Native Languages; Online Sources and Links