Tag: rogue river war

General History, Grand Ronde Reservation, Oregon indians, Rogue Valley, Siletz Reservation3 Comments

Rogue River Treaty of 1853, Negotiated September 10, 1853, Ratified April 12, 1854

David G. Lewis, PhD

The Rogue River Treaty of 1853 was negotiated at the base of the Lower Table Rock, between the base and the river. Accounts of the treaty signing suggest that the Rogue River tribes were assembled at the top of Table Rock and looked down at the proceedings. In this manner  they were protected from attacks from the Americans. The atmosphere was tense as the treaty negotiations began, because there was a state of continued attacks between the rogue militant American gold miners, and territorial Ranger Militia, and the tribes in Southwestern Oregon and Northern California.  This time period has been … Continue reading Rogue River Treaty of 1853, Negotiated September 10, 1853, Ratified April 12, 1854

General History, Grand Ronde Reservation, Native Issues, Oregon indians, treaties, Uncategorized, Willamette Valley2 Comments

Equability of the Willamette Valley Treaty

David G. Lewis, PhD

Three days after signing the Willamette Valley Treaty (January 22, 1855) with the tribes of the Willamette Valley and Columbia River, Joel Palmer Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Oregon,  sent the treaty to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Manypenny. Palmer sent with the treaty an accompanying letter explaining the treaty and documenting the other promises he made to the tribes to get them to sign their lands away and remove. In large part, it was unethical for Palmer to make additional promises to the tribe to get them to sign an agreement that they could not even read. In addition, … Continue reading Equability of the Willamette Valley Treaty

General History, Grand Ronde Reservation, Native Issues, Oregon indians, Siletz Reservation, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Depredation Claims: Everyone Gets Paid Except Natives

David G. Lewis, PhD

In the story of the American West, the notion of depredations is significant. Depredations in the West refers to the conflicts when Native peoples attacked American settlements and caused damage, or stole the settler’s belongings. These actions resulted in depredations claims by the settlers, ranchers or miners within the next few years, to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for recovery of the monetary value of the depredations. Depredations claims usually had some sort of testimony from the settler, miner or rancher, of the things they lost in the attack or raid. The claims may be a few dollars to thousands … Continue reading Depredation Claims: Everyone Gets Paid Except Natives