OCTOBER 9:

1874  Fort Macleod Alberta - James Farquharson Macleod 1836-1894 arrives at Fort Whoop-Up with the first North West Mounted Police troop, guided by Metis scout Jerry Potts. They find the whisky trading post empty, but build a fort on an island in the Oldman River. The first arrest comes with the capture of five whiskey traders with two wagon loads of fire water (a concoction of brandy and pepper), buffalo robes and rifles.

October 9, 1855: Tecumton (Elk Killer) and other Rogue River Indians retaliate for yesterday's attack. They destroy farms near Evan's Ferry. They attack, and kill 18 people at Jewett's Ferry, Evan's Ferry, and Wagoner's ranch. The whites will call it the "Wagoner Massacre."

October 9, 1823:  In June Arikara warriors attack an American expedition. A force of 500 Sioux warriors finds the Arikaras and a battle takes place. Colonel Henry Leavenworth soon arrives with his force of 200 soldiers. He reports his men kill fifty Arikaras and the Sioux kill fifteen. The Sioux lose two warriors.

1668 Quebec Quebec - Opening of first Franco-Huron college at Quebec.

1615 Syracuse, New York - Samuel de Champlain c1570-1635 and his party of 500 Huron warriors capture 11 Iroquois; intending to attack Onondaga and Seneca strongholds.
 
 
 

BACKGROUND:
 

Rogue River Indians:

Takelma: "those living alongside [the Rogue] river" Latgawa: "those living in the uplands" (Ruby and Brown, p. 235)

"TAKELMA

A small linguistic family comprising two separate tribes: the Takelma on the east side of the Klamath and Coast Mountains in the middle Rogue River area around Grants Pass, Oregon; and the Latgawa in the upper Rogue River area around Jacksonville, Oregon. Their houses were small brush shelters in summer and constructed of split sugar pine boards for winter. They decorated their costumes with dentalia shells, and tattooing was common. They also had cultural traits from California, and they prized obsidian and Shasta basket hats. They resented intrusions on their lands and were involved in the so-called 'Rogue Wars' of the 1850s, after which the U.S. Army decided to send the remaining Takelma and Latgawa to the Grand Ronde Reservation many miles to the north, where they arrived both overland and by sea. The Takelma probably numbered in excess of 1,000 in 1800 but later figures incorporate them in a mixed group known as 'Upper Rogue River'.

"In 1905 there were reportedly only three or four elderly women on the Siletz who spoke the Takelman language, and spoke its upland dialect. By the early twentieth century any evidence of Takelma tribal entity had disappeared. Until then the few survivors had communicated mainly in the Chinook jargon, broken English or some Athapaskan dialect. In the late 1970s archaeologists excavated Takelma village sites before they were covered by the waters behind a dam on the Applegate, a Rogue Tributary." (Ruby and Brown, p. 238 )
 

*****
 

>From http://logos.uoregon.edu/explore/oregon/takelma.html
 

John Adams (c1847-1928)....a story of struggle

One of the greatest stories of those of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians  of Oregon is that of John Adams, who was born circa 1847 near present day Ashland, Jackson County, Oregon, in what was then Indian territory, only invaded by a very few hardy white settlers, at the time of his birth. His parents are believed to be Te-cum-tom (the father), of the Rogue Nation, and Usuwi (the mother), of the Shasta Nation.

John, in his later years, stated that he could not speak his father's language, but spoke the language of his mother's tribe.

In his own words...

... "Pretty rough times! Awful hard time when I'm baby. Rogue River Injun war that time. Well, soldier come, everybody scatter, run for hills. One family this way, one family other way. Some fighting. My father killed, my mother killed. Well, my uncle he come, my grandmother. Old woman, face like white woman, so old. 'Well, my poor mother, you old, not run. Soldiers coming close, we have to run fast. I not help it. I sorry. Must leave you here. Maybe soldiers not find you, we come back. Now this little baby, this my brother's baby. Two children I got myself. I sorry, I not help it. We leave this poor baby, too.' That's what my uncle say.

"Course, I small, maybe two years, maybe three years. I not know what he say. Somebody tell me afterwards. Well, old grandmother cries, say: 'I old, I not afraid die. Go ahead, get away from soldiers.'

"Well, just like dream, I 'member old grandmother pack me round in basket on her back. All time she cry and holler. I say, 'Grandmother, what you do?'

"'I crying, my child.'

"'What is it, crying, grandmother?'

"'I sorry for you, my child. Why I cry. I not sorry myself, I old. You young, maybe somebody find you all right, you live.'

"Then like I sleep long time. When I wake up, winter gone, spring time come. I 'member plenty flowers, everything smell good. Old grandmother sitting down, can walk no more. Maybe rheumatism. She point long stick, say, 'Pick that one, grandson.'

"I weak, can't walk. S'pose no eat long time. I crawl on ground where she point. 'This one, grandmother?'

"'No, that other one.'

"'This one?'

"'No, No! That one no good. That other one.'

"Bimeby I get right one, she say, 'Pull up, bring him here.'

"I crawl back, she eat part, give me part. Don't like it, me. Too sour. Well, she show me everything to eat, I crawl round, get roots. Pretty soon can walk. Old grandmother never walk. Just sit same place all time. One day she point big tree. 'You go see. If hole in bottom, inside you find nice, sweet ball hanging up. That's good.'

"Well, I find hole, crawl inside. White stuff there, sweet, good. I like that. Every day go to that tree.

"Grandmother say: 'S'pose you hear something say 'Pow! Pow! That's man. You holler, he come help us.' But I can't holler, too small, just make squak. She make new basket, tell me: 'Put upside down out there, maybe somebody find it.'

"One day hear something: 'Pow! Pow!' She's too old for holler, me, I'm too small. Maybe I'm scared too. Well, I crawl inside tree and eat sugar. Pretty soon hear somebody talk. Then I'm 'fraid, hide in tree. Somebody coming! I lay down on ground, hide close. 'Where are you? Where are you?' Well, there's my uncle. He pick me up one hand. I 'member hanging over his arm while he go back my grandmother.

"'Well,' that man say, 'soldiers not stay long that time. Pretty soon come back, can't find you. Think some grizzly-bear eat you. Look for bones, can't find bones. All winter I cry. Then I say my wife: 'Maybe better go other side today. Maybe find something other side.' That's how I find that new basket. Then I look close. Little grass been moved. Pretty near can't see it. Some kind little foot been there! That's how I find my old mother.'

"Pretty soon soldiers come again. That's the time they leave my old grandmother cause she can't walk. Maybe she die right there, maybe soldiers kill her. She cry plenty when my uncle take me away. Well, all time going round in the woods. After while my uncle get killed. Then I'm 'lone. Klamath Injun find me, bring me to new reservation.

"Two my relations, they're married to Rogue River man. They take me, but pretty soon both dead. One Rogue River man he say: 'Well, you're small. You can't do nothing. I keep you. Long as you like to stay, you stay with me.' I can't talk his language, my mother's Shasta Injun. So we talk jargon. Few years after that, then he die. Then some woman hear about me, say she's my sister. Well, I don't know. I look at her. Don't know her. She take me in steamboat from Port Orford for Portland. It's like the ground falling under me, one side, other side. Can't eat, sick all time. Well, we get Portland, I'm glad. Eat lots. Then we stay Dayton good many years, come Siletz. I'm young fellow now.

"All this Coast Injun say: 'That fellow bad blood. His people make that Rogue River war. They start it. He's bad fellow.' They keep talking that way, looking at me. Sometimes throw rocks. One day they start again, maybe twenty. I tired all that talking, get mad. When they throw rocks, I throw too. That's the time lose these front teeth. Got no teeth since then. Rock knock 'em out. When that rock hit me, I get crazy. I start for my house for get gun. They head me off. Can't run fast, feels like my head coming off. All throwing rocks. One fellow's got knife. Says, 'We get him!' I grab fence rail, hit him on the neck. He drop, squirm like fish in canoe. Next one come, hit him on head. He drop too. Don't squirm. That rail too heavy, throw him away and run again. Can't get to my house, they head me off. What I going do? Well, I get in fence corner. What I going fight with?

"Some white man on other side say. 'Here, Johnny, some rocks.' Push some rocks under fence. I say, 'Well, you come over help me.'

"'No, I 'fraid. Here's more rocks.'

"I pick up rocks. Four men get close now. He's got knife, too. Thump! Hit him in ribs. Stagger like drunk. Next man, thump! Hit him in ribs. He go back. Others all stop. Then I jump fence, run home, get my gun. They go back. That's rough times!"