Chemeketa Creek Becomes Mill Creek
A creek in Salem, Oregon, presently named Mill Creek (GNIS 1163145), was named such in the 1850’s. To aid the flow of the original creek, that had been…
Author: David G. Lewis' Ethnohistory Research, LLC
Stagaush Tribes remove to Salmon River: Excerpts from a History of the Little Nestucca
This book-length essay is from the Oregon Historical Society Library. It appears to be completely unpublished. The author Alexandra Ley Rock, was none too generous towards her characterizations…
A Trip to Tillamook, By Way of the Salmon River: the First Journey of Warren Vaughn
I encountered this history, partially unpublished I believe, in the Oregon Historical Society Library. The published book of his journal focuses on the second trip down the coast…
Blueprints of the New Salmon River Highway
All this Salmon river research has led me to the Oregon State Archives. There they have the records of the Oregon State Highway Commission. Commission records go back…
Contributions of William and Almira Raymond to Native Administration in Oregon
William Raymond was a sub-Indian agent from 1851 until at least 1857. He administered the tribes first at the Astoria sub-agency, then later moved the agency to Tillamook.…
When the Roads in Grand Ronde Were Paved
Until about 1923, all roads on the Grand Ronde Reservation were “improved roads.” They were originally trails used for horse and buggy and then later graveled and…
Wagon Roads From Grand Ronde to the Coast
In the 1860’s, the Indians of the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation needed a route to get to the coast to gather fish. The Indian agents Continue reading
Devil’s Lake and Salmon River Encampment
Devil’s Lake is in Lincoln City, in fact it is the only such lake and state park completely contained within a city in Oregon. The Continue reading
Conditions of the Alsea Indians and the Salmon River Encampment 1876-1878
As addressed in previous essays, in about 1875, most Indian annuities for the Western Oregon tribes ended because the 20 year payments were exhausted. This Continue reading
Siletz Tribal Council 1876
The year 1876 appears to have been a key year to discuss further reductions of the Siletz Reservation. The original Coast reservation was a Continue reading
When Annuities Ended on the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation
The closure of the 1853-1855 treaty annuities in 1875 was a time of hardship for some Oregon reservations. For 20 years the reservations of Oregon Continue reading
Warm Springs Speeches 1876
It is well known that the Coast Reservation was reduced in 1865 and 1875 to make way for white settlement. A similar threat was posed Continue reading
Surviving Oregon Native Languages; Online Sources and Links
Oregon Tribal Languages have been endangered for over 100 years. From an original base of some 100 languages and dialects, the number of surviving Continue reading
Lost Horses & Rights of Native Peoples in Salem, Oregon 1875
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 Continue reading
Beginning the Logging Tradition at Grand Ronde
In Oregon history, the settlers began coming to the Willamette Valley by the hundreds in the 1840s. By 1840s there had been a massive epidemic Continue reading
The Significance of Salmon River Encampment in 1875
In 1875, the United States Congress passed an act, March 3, 1875, to reduce the Coast Reservation. This act, terminated the Alsea Reservation, that section Continue reading
Indian Catchers of Coastal Oregon 1850s
A truly remarkable fact of Oregon history presented itself whole conducting some coastal research. In 1856 and for years after, the Indian agents employed and Continue reading
Medicinal Plants of the Rogue Rivers at Grand Ronde, 1858
When the tribes got to the reservation in 1856, the federal Indian agents were then 100% responsible for feeding them and caring for their health Continue reading
Early History of the White Salmon Reservation
One of the shortest lives reservations was the White Salmon Reservation, on the north bank of the Columbia River across from Hood River. The Reservation Continue reading
A Hot Bed of Disease and Death, Anson G. Henry Physician at Grand Ronde
In 1857, Doctor Anson G. Henry wrote a report on the health conditions at Grand Ronde. A few days before he had written another report, Continue reading
Dispelling the Cloud of Black Eternity: the Willamette School at Grand Ronde in 1857
Once the tribes were removed to the reservation, additional work began to civilize them. The Indian Agents and teachers disregarded the tribe’s cultures and previous Continue reading
Canoeing the Yaquina, Coast Reservation, November 1856
The story of the Coast Reservation of Oregon is complicated. The Coast Reservation is created in 1855 by Presidential Executive Order and then for some Continue reading
The Gateway on the Central Oregon Coast, Fort Umpqua and the Umpqua Sub Indian Agency
The southern and central Coast of Oregon is a relatively unknown area in Native American history. As the area is not well researched it Continue reading
War on the Umpqua Tribes and Removal to the Umpqua Reserves
Much has been written and published of the Rogue River, Modoc, and Yakima Wars in the Oregon Territory. These wars were, by-and-large, reactions of the Continue reading