Tag: Joel Palmer

colonization, columbia river, General History, Grand Ronde Reservation, Native Issues, Oregon indians1 Comment

Records of the Cascades Watlala Removal to Grand Ronde

David G. Lewis, PhD

Joel Palmer’s letters during his superintendency lend themselves to a timeline for the removal of most tribes. Palmer penned orders and received reports from his Indian agents, sub Indian agents, local agents and special agents in a timely manner. Work that some may think would take months would be accomplished in a few weeks. There was an inexplicable high level of cooperation among many of these men. I have searched for reasons why they seemed to be able to accomplish so much with relatively little disagreement, no complete failures to speak of, and with great efficiency. The efficiency and ease … Continue reading Records of the Cascades Watlala Removal to Grand Ronde

columbia river, General History, Kalapuya, Native Issues, Oregon indians, treaties, Willamette ValleyLeave a comment

Palmer’s Ledger of Vouchers for the Willamette Valley Treaty

David G. Lewis, PhD

In Record Group 75 (Bureau of Indian Affairs) microfilm are many millions of records of the tribes as they were being managed by federal Indian agents. The M234 and M2 microfilm relate to the Oregon superintendency. They are generally in good order, but some miscellaneous records have been gathered into the final films. These miscellaneous records are not well researched and used in research. Occasions dips into these microfilm can reveal information vital to understanding key sections of history. This is the status of Joel Palmer’s ledger of vouchers. Palmer appears to have ordered created a ledger for much of … Continue reading Palmer’s Ledger of Vouchers for the Willamette Valley Treaty

General History, Grand Ronde Reservation, Native Issues, Oregon indians, Rogue Valley, Umpqua Valley, Willamette Valley1 Comment

Removal of Four Tribes from the Umpqua Reservation 1855-1856

David G. Lewis, PhD

Between the time of the formation of the Umpqua Reservation in the Umpqua basin (1854) and the removal of the four tribes to Grand Ronde Reservation, in late January 1856, Joel Palmer the Indian Superintendent had to make fast and detailed plans. The war of the Rogue River Confederacy was raging in the Siskiyous and the Indian agents for Oregon and California were working with the US Army and the militias of both states to remove the neighboring tribes to temporary reservations to keep them from joining the fight. Tolowa Natives of northern California were imprisoned at Battery Point for … Continue reading Removal of Four Tribes from the Umpqua Reservation 1855-1856

California Natives, General History, Native Issues, Oregon Coast, Oregon indians, Uncategorized1 Comment

A State of Open Warfare: the Chetko Massacre revisited

David G. Lewis, PhD

Rape, threats of violence, and Murder were the tools used by the Whitemen who came to the region encompassing northern California and southern Oregon in search of opportunity and gold. The coastal towns of the tribes, in the vicinity of the much more recent white settlements were particularly susceptible to violence owing to the concentration of a variety of white settlers and the continual push for greater opportunity for any who visited the region. The tribes were in the way of White settlements and many of the Whites sought to hunt them out and to exterminate them like wolves. Indian … Continue reading A State of Open Warfare: the Chetko Massacre revisited

columbia river, education, Grand Ronde Reservation, Oregon indians, Rogue Valley, Umpqua Valley, Uncategorized, Willamette Valley1 Comment

Forming the Grand Ronde Tribal Confederation 1850s

David G. Lewis, PhD

The Grand Ronde Tribe is a confederacy of tribes.  The history of research on how many tribes came to Grand Ronde has greatly progressed in recent years. For a time in the 1990s, Grand Ronde noted five tribes (the primary tribal groups- which encouraged some people to believe that there were only five tribes).  In the 2000s historians and researchers at the Grand Ronde Tribe had enumerated 29 to 35 tribes. Counting them again, we are finding many more bands than previously mentioned, perhaps as many as 48 tribes and bands. The definition of a Tribe is important. We now … Continue reading Forming the Grand Ronde Tribal Confederation 1850s