In 1853, the former Superintendent of Indian Affairs of Oregon Anson Dart had been forced to resign as none of his nineteen treaties with the tribes were ratified. Joel Palmer took this position in late May. Palmer was already a well-healed politician, and probably knew most people in Oregon at the time, and had previously … [Read more…]
In 1875 a good number of letters were sent around to Indian agents about Indians who had “illegally” left the reservations and who were living in a settler community, about small minor crimes and disturbances by Indians from the Dalles to Roseburg. During this time the federal government was in the midst of taking several … [Read more…]
Vine Deloria, Jr. famously penned a book, the Trail of Broken Treaties in response to over 150 years of the United States breaking its agreements with Native American Tribes. The current Standing Rock action by thousands of Native American peoples and their allies is another chapter in this trail of broken treaties. The encampment was … [Read more…]
Over the course of the years one question about the tribes of western Oregon has never been fully answered, Do the Tribal Members of the Grand Ronde and Siletz Reservations possess fishing rights? This essay offers a few case studies and a short analysis of the issue and question, that in many ways still exists … [Read more…]
Albert Meacham has proven on many occasions to have been concerned about the tribes of Oregon. The Indian Superintendent for Oregon seems genuinely to be concerned about the welfare of the people at Grand Ronde, and worked to develop the resources on the reservation. In 1871 Meacham visited most of the reservations and worked hard … [Read more…]