SW Oregon History: Correspondence, 1854

SW Oregon History:

Selected Excerpts of Correspondence & Reports

Filed with the US Office of Indian Affairs, 1854

Compiled and Organized by Bob Zybach, 2007

The following list of excerpts regarding US handling and perspectives of the Rogue River Indian Wars were taken from official records of the US Office of Indian Affairs. These selections and index were made under contract to NW Maps Co., as background research for a long-term forest science project on USDI Bureau of Land Management lands in the Applegate River and Cow Creek subbasins in southwest Oregon. The primary research project has been headed by Michael Newton, College of Forestry, Oregon State University, since its inception nearly 30 years ago.

Most of the following selections were obtained in digital format via the online "Native American Documents Project" (NADP) on the California State University, San Marcos website: http://www.csusm.edu/nadp/. The NADP was started in 1992 by Professor E. A. Schwartz, who completed his doctoral research in 1991 on the topic of the Rogue River Indian Wars. All NADP excerpts include an active link to the project's homepage. The NADP recommended method of citing these resources are given here: http://www.csusm.edu/nadp/citation.htm

NADP Homepage
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Palmer to Parrish, 15 May 1854, in United States, Office of Indian Affairs, Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1880, National Archives Microcopy 234, Roll 608 (excerpt), NADP Document D23.
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[...] You will also designate their chiefs by name; whether they are friendly or hostile to the whites, and to other bands of Indians; the diseases prevalent among them, and their mode of treating disease; also the number of firearms owned by them, and any other information you may deem escential to enable the Indian Department to act advisedly in the adoptions of measures to secure their peace, happiness and ultimate civilization and enlightment.

I desire you to use all possible diligence to acquire this information at the earliest possible moment so as to enable me to report to the Indian department at Washington at an early day.

In visiting the Chit-ko Indians at the mouth of the Chit-ko River I think it will be well to inform them that they may expect pay for the loss of their lodges burned by Miller and his party in February last. Justice seems to require this, and it will be difficult to convince them of our sincerity without it, as the burning was an outrage for which there is not, as I verily believe, the least shadow of justification.
I have written to General Wool requesting that a small military force be sent up immediately, and in the event they come, you will take immediate steps to cause the arrest of A. F. Miller, Cole Colier, John Metzker, __ Powers, J Wagner, A Shough and others engaged in killing the Indians at Chit-ko village, and burning their lodges, and have them handed over for trial to the civil authorities for trial [...]

NADP Homepage
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Ambrose to Palmer, 12 June 1854, in United States, Office of Indian Affairs, Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1880, National Archives Microcopy 234, Roll 608 (excerpt), NADP Document D29.
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[...] went on a visit to the coast and arrived just in time to loose his life in the first outbreak in that quarter, which with the one that Miller had killed made seven of their number who had lost their lives within the space of so many months, and the Indians complain that all this was done, without their having violated the Treaty of peace. Their appearance amongst those hostile bands may have been accidental, of this I am not able to say; but being caught in bad company they were treated accordingly.

They appealed to "Bill" Chief of the Deer Creek to revolt and assist them in avenging their wrongs as they considered they had been wronged. "Bill" refused and they immediately left the country, and I have but little doubt of their being the principal perpetrators of the Indian Creek murder. The particulars of which I have not learned from the best information I can get it seems that about one month ago. There was a man by the name of Wills murdered in his house on Indian Creek a tributary of the Klamath River in California. The trail from the cabin of the murdered man led over toward the head waters of Illinois [River], which it seems satisfied the persons in pursuit of the Indians that it was the Illinois & Deer Creek Indians [...]
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[...] with a determination to kill every Indian they could find; unfortunately the first Indian they saw was a son of "old Chief John" who was engaged in assisting some white men in packing he was fired at by the party and wounded but made his escape. Upon his arrival in the Indian camp he reported the proceedings of the white men, which very much frightened the Indians and they fled to the mountain for safety. They informed me they had not fired at any white person, nor did not intend to only in self defence. I found them quite willing to remove to the lands which had been assigned them as a reservation. They expressed some fears of being unable to procure a living on the reserve until their crops would mature. They were out of provisions and allready in a suffering condition, and as it was absolutely necessary to remove them in order to avert a war I procured them such provisions as their actual wants required, while on the journey and a sufficiency to last a few days in their new homes. A few of the Illinois Indians I fear were concerned in the murder of Wills. I have not had a talk with them yet, from the fact that I could not find them, Capt. Smith of the U.S.A. has been in [...]