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CLEAR Temp: 55 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Friday, October 3, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 7, 2003 Rogue River Treaty of 1853 altered our region’s history By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune Nearly all landowners in Jackson and Josephine counties can trace the origins of their property to Sept. 10, 1853. That’s the day the Rogue River Treaty of 1853 was signed near the Table Rocks, resulting in a huge expanse of land estimated to be more than two million acres being given to Uncle Sam for $60,000. "Everybody’s land title in the Rogue Valley area is rooted in this treaty," said Robert Kentta, cultural resources director for the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. "This is a very important part of Oregon’s history, not just Indian history," he added. "It reflects the history of how the United States acquired the Indian land so that legal settlement could be accomplished." Advertisement Kentta, whose Indian ancestors once lived on the land purchased by the treaty, will discuss "The Rogue River Treaty of 1853: 150 Years of U.S. and Tribal Relations in the Rogue Valley" in Jacksonville today. During his slide show and lecture, he will discuss the events leading up to the signing of the treaty, details about treaty negotiations, the process of ratification, the temporary reservation at Table Rock, the Rogue River Wars and the removal of native people to Siletz. The slide show will include maps of the Table Rock reservation as well as old photographs of native people. The treaty was the first in the Oregon Territory — Oregon became a state in 1859 — to be ratified by the U.S. Senate when it was approved in April 1854. President Franklin Pierce signed the treaty in 1855. Basically, the treaty gave the United States all the land from what is now Mount McLoughlin west to a point one mile downstream from the mouth of the Applegate River, and from the Umpqua Divide south to the Siskiyou Summit. The 1853 price was $60,000, less $15,000 to be paid to settlers for various costs incurred before the treaty was signed. The treaty was initially signed by Chief Sam, known as Ko-Ko-Ha-Wah, meaning "wealthy," and four other chiefs along with Gen. Joseph Lane representing the United States. In addition to declaring an end to hostilities between the Indians and the settlers, it established a temporary reservation based around the Table Rocks. That reservation was roughly in the area between Lower Table Rock and the mouth of Evans Creek, Kentta said. But after hostilities resumed in 1855, the Indian people were moved by force in 1856 to the Siletz and Grand Ronde reservations west of Salem. "There was resistance to the removal because people thought they would be allowed to stay at Table Rock," Kentta said. Between 900 and 1,000 people were forced to move, including Kentta’s ancestors. Although the treaty refers to all the native people as "Rogue River Indians," there was actually three language groups involved, including the Takelmas, the Shastas and the Applegate River Athabascans, Kentta said. Before the arrival of the Europeans in the early 1800s, the groups had lived in the region for countless generations, trading with each other and living off the land, he said. "The people were made poorer by the signing of the treaty and by their removal to the reservation," he said. "It threw the tribal economies and social system into chaos." Recognizing the past helps put the world into perspective as well as helping to avoid a repeat of past mistakes, he said. "There are a lot of things that shouldn’t have happened but they did happen," he said. "It’s not healthy to sit around and be bitter." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Lecture, slide show set JACKSONVILLE — The 150th anniversary of the signing of the Rogue River Treaty of 1853 will be discussed today during a presentation at the U.S. Hotel ballroom on the corner of Third and California streets. Robert Kentta, the cultural resources director for the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, will present the slide show and lecture beginning at 2 p.m. Sponsored by the Southern Oregon Historical Society, the event costs $5 for non-members, $4 for members and $2 for children under 12. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times