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Summary
It is not known when people began living in the area now occupied by the Cow Creek Umpqua Indians and their non-Indian neighbors.
The Land
The Cow Creek Umpqua lived in the Pacific Coast Range in Southwestern Oregon.
The People
Several closely related Indian tribes occupied southwestern Oregon.
Myths
Long before the non-Indians came, deep in the remote river canyons, 300 feet below the fir and cedar forest canopy,...
Early Contact
Starting in 1560, Spanish Manila Galleons began yearly trips from Manila, in the Philippine Islands, to California, and down the coast to Acapulco, Mexico.
Indian Law
In 1787, the U.S. Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance, which contained a section titled the Utmost Good Faith Law, which asserted:
Treaty
The Cow Creek Umpquas become the first Oregon Treaty Tribe on September 19, 1853 after one day of negotiation with their Chief, Miwaleta.
Indian Wars
The Oregon Donation Land Act meant that non-Indians could stake a claim to land no matter whether Indians lived on it or not. No consent was needed. No treaties were necessary.
Trail of Tears
In 1854, the Oregon Territory Legislature passed a law making it illegal to sell guns or ammunition to Indians.
Reservation Life
Over 800 Indians arrived at the Grand Ronde Reservation....
Reservation Lost
Ironically, by 1865, non-Indians began demanding the valuable lands the Indians had been forced onto.
Termination
The Cow Creek Umpquas managed to hold on, at the margins of settler society, into the early Twentieth Century.
Restoration
On May 26, 1980, President Carter signed Public Law 96-25 allowing the Cow Creek Umpqua Indians to file a complaint in Claims Court in Washington, D. C. over the value of their lands taken in 1853.
Endowment
After Restoration, the Cow Creek Umpquas came up with a tribal plan that called for investing the settlement funds in an endowment.
The Mountain with A Hole in the Top
A Cow Creek Legend - Ellen Furlong Crispen, an Umpqua descendant, told local historian W. K. Peery this story of Crater Lake.
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