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Grande Ronde Indian's trek will recall forced march He'll start 265-mile walk Saturday at Table Rocks By PAUL FATTIG As a Marine Corps veteran, Steve Bobb is no stranger to long marches. But nothing like the 265-mile, 13-day trek he begins Saturday. The American Indian, an artist who lives in Willamina, is marking the anniversary of his ancestors' forced march from the Table Rocks to Grand Ronde which began on Feb. 23, 1856. "We'll be retracing the trail of our ancestors," said Bobb, 52, who was reared on the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation. "Of course, our conditions will be a whole lot better than what they faced." Eight of the 325 people who started from the Table Rocks in the 1856 march died en route. It came on the heels of the Rogue River Indian wars in the mid-1850s, in which Indian bands in Southern Oregon were gathered together and forced to march to the Siletz and Grand Ronde reservations in northwestern Oregon. Bobb, who served a year in Vietnam, will also be walking to raise money and awareness for a future veterans memorial in Grand Ronde. The memorial, which will honor all veterans from the Grand Ronde, Willamina and Sheridan area, has been designed and will be created by Bobb. It depicts a native man and woman in traditional dress reaching to the sky. "I've always been an artist - it's something I've always done, even when I was in the Corps," he said. Veterans en route are encouraged to walk with Bobb. "It's our tribal tradition to honor the elders," explained tribal member Brent Merrill, 41, who will be walking with Bobb. "Veterans are also held in very high esteem. "I'm doing this to honor family members who are veterans - my dad and two uncles were all in the Navy," he added. But the walk will also honor those forced to march from their homelands in 1856, he added. "It took them 33 days," Merrill said. "There were 325 tribal members and 106 cavalry. They walked up the Applegate Trail. They had a lot of cattle, horses, even chickens. The full procession probably stretched for over a mile." In addition to eight deaths there were also eight births during the march, he said. "The cavalry gathered up other tribal people along the way," he said. "We ended up with as many as 25 different tribes, most of whom had their own language and own way of doing things. It was very difficult. And this was all against their will." Those volunteering Saturday to hike north to retrace the steps of their ancestors will meet at daybreak at the day-use area at the Lower Table Rock. They will follow the same route as their ancestors to Eugene, then cut over to the coast and head north to Hebo. From there they will walk inland to Grand Ronde. Although he may not be in the same shape as when he was in the Corps, Bobb said he is ready for the walk. "I've been walking about five miles a day for the last five years," Bobb said. "I've been walking steady. "I don't mind the rain, but I'm not too crazy about the wind," he added. "That's always difficult to walk into." Contributions for the memorial should be made out to the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation and can be sent to: Grand Ronde Indian Reservation, Public Information Office, 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.