Tag: indian agent

assimilation, colonization, General History, Oregon indiansLeave a comment

Elijah White Romanticizes Oregon Tribal Peoples

David G. Lewis, PhD

Dr. Elijah White was a missionary and the first Indian sub-Agent of the Oregon territory. He was then (1837) part of Jason Lee’s Methodist Mission but had a falling out with Lee and left Oregon for the east. White returned in 1842 leading the first wagon train on the Oregon Trail. He was then appointed by the War Department to be a sub-Indian agent of the Oregon Territory. The Indian Office was transferred to the Department of the Interior in 1848 which caused a change in policy regarding the tribes. No longer were they first to be treated as an … Continue reading Elijah White Romanticizes Oregon Tribal Peoples

General History, Grand Ronde Reservation, Native Issues, Oregon indians, Uncategorized, Willamette Valley3 Comments

No Place to Live Within our Lands

David G. Lewis, PhD

The federal Indian bureau was made responsible for the tribes as of 1848 (from the Department of War) and assigned Indian Agents and superintendents for states and territories. Their goal was to preserve the tribes, but to also clear the way for white settlement. The earliest plan for Oregon was to move all tribes to the Umatilla area, but this plan was nixed by all tribes. Many Agents appeared to care deeply for the tribes. Agents like Joel Palmer worked to preserve the tribes before they were completely extinguished. Others took to their jobs like accountants, working to live within … Continue reading No Place to Live Within our Lands