When the Grand Ronde Reservation was created, some 35 tribes were moved, or resettled, onto the reservation. Conditions on the reservation were not good for nearly 20 years, and many people chose to leave and find a way to integrate into settler culture. Many were very successful, while others continued to have challenges. The Molalla … [Read more…]
This basket was given to the Mission Mill Museum in the 1970s, probably 1974, by the McGilchrist family, they gifted a collection which was then put on display in an exhibit. The basket is still in the museum (see photos) but appears to be more worn than in the 1974 newspaper photos. The repair work … [Read more…]
Recently, I was made aware of another alternative story of the Battle of Battle Creek. Previously, I published an essay about stories of Klamath and Kalapuya warriors involved in the Battle Creek incident. But, as this history has been well revisited by newspaper editors and other writers over the last 180 years, there are additional … [Read more…]
In recent work I have begun to document the various wetlands of the Willamette Valley from before settler changes took effect. Our best, and most complete set of records of this early period are the General Land Office (GLO) Maps housed now online at the Bureau of Land Management’s Land Status and Cadastral Survey Records … [Read more…]
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 … [Read more…]