Tag: lane

Kalapuya, Oregon indians, Personal History, Uncategorized9 Comments

A Petition to Change the Name of Lane County

David G. Lewis, PhD

  In this new period of “wokeness” there are calls for the elimination of racist names and statues from our institutions. Christopher Columbus statues have been torn from their moorings and thrown into local rivers, while the statues of confederate generals and slaveowner politicians have been defaced and torn down by citizens in their rage.  Similarly, long-stalled movements to eliminate racist placenames and get rid of colonizer monuments have caused pioneer statues to be torn down at UO and Deady hall to finally get the approval to be renamed at the University of Oregon.  I have watched the movement to … Continue reading A Petition to Change the Name of Lane County

columbia river, eastern oregon, General History, Rogue Valley, Umpqua Valley, Washington Territory, Willamette Valley4 Comments

Joe Lane 1849 : Report of the Tribes and Bands of the Oregon Territory

David G. Lewis, PhD

General Joe Lane was an early politician and war hero for Oregon. He served as the Indian Superintendent for Oregon as well as Governor of the territory in 1848 and 1849, and in 1850 participated in battles and conflicts in southern Oregon, famously making peace with the Rogue River Confederacy in the first agreement of Southern Oregon, a treaty of peace.  In 1853, he leads another battle with the Rogue River tribes, at Evans Creek and forms another peace agreement with the confederacy at Table Rock. Previously, Lane had been engaged as an officer in the U.S. Army during the … Continue reading Joe Lane 1849 : Report of the Tribes and Bands of the Oregon Territory

General History, Oregon indians, Rogue Valley, treaties7 Comments

Treaty of Peace with the Rogue River Tribes, September 8, 1853

David G. Lewis, PhD

Previous to the seven ratified treaties with the tribes of western Oregon there were two treaties of peace with the Rogue River tribes. The treaty of 1850, is mentioned in a few documents, but no text thus far has been produced (as far as I am aware). However, the 1853 Treaty of Peace is well described in many scholarly texts (Whaley OE, Schwartz 1997), and there is a copy of the treaty in microfilm records (M234 Oregon R. 608). I do not recall that the original treaty has been recovered in federal archives. The treaty is not noted among the … Continue reading Treaty of Peace with the Rogue River Tribes, September 8, 1853

columbia river, General History, Oregon indians, Umpqua Valley, Washington Territory, Willamette Valley8 Comments

Klickitat Bands Colonize the Columbia River and Northwestern Oregon

David G. Lewis, PhD

The Klickitat (Klikitat, Clickitat) tribal nation are for many people in Oregon, synonymous with “Oregon Indians.” In fact, Oregon still has stories of Klickitat trails, and a Klickitat Mountain in the Coast Range. Yet, the Klickitats are not originally from Oregon at all. Their habitations in the 19th century were the eastern flanks of the northern Cascades, that section of the range north of the Columbia River. The Clickatats claim a district of country north of the Columbia, but they are a roving tribe and are scattered about in different parts of the territory. Their number is four hundred and … Continue reading Klickitat Bands Colonize the Columbia River and Northwestern Oregon

General History, Native Issues, Oregon indians, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Fighting from the Corner: Reports of Invasion of Rogue River Country

David G. Lewis, PhD

The Rogue River War – a series of conflicts between a confederation of tribes – loosely around the Rogue River Valley- and the American Ranger Militias and United States Army, is addressed historically (by many) as a single war. However, the Rogue River area had two periods of war separated by barely a year of relative peace. The first Rogue River War erupted early in the 1850s when the Oregon Gold Rush caused thousands of Americans to invade the Rogue River region to mine for the precious metal. The tribes did not appreciate the invasion of the rude Americans and … Continue reading Fighting from the Corner: Reports of Invasion of Rogue River Country