The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1873-02-14

T.
U Norrhwesf-TheIr Present CondItion
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Nov that the Modoc Indisn war i,
assuming unloeked-for proportions
your readers will no doubt be glad "a
have semeides given them of the diff.
: tferent Indian tribes in the great
!, Northwest These Indian tribes are
fading away from the shores of the
Pacific as they have dene from the
Atlantic. . The record of Indian wars
will soon 5e concluded, for the
q Apaches are on their last warpath.
j, and the fragments of Modocs who
wage hostility in Southern Oregon
cannot long continue in that attitude.
The depopulstioH o. the Iadians m
Oregon can be judged from the fol-
lowing statement: At the Alses
! Agency there are now 500, original
number 900; at the Siletz Agency
Agency there are now 1900 left Of
the 2, 400 originally located there !; at
Warm Springs there are only 654 left
OF about $500, but a portion have
wandered away, and have become
roaming bands; at Grand Ronde
there sEe LOO left of 2,3O0; at
klamath ], 400 remain Of 1000, but
the warlike Modocs are included in
the large number at Umatilla there
are about S37 Lett of about 2,300, but
they possess more wealth per capita,
probably, than any other of the West
ern tribes Their bands of horses
number over ten thousand head, and
! their herds of cattle number halt as
many more. They have more pro
pensity for stock than for agriculture,
but they raise considerable produce
also. Howlish-Wampo, their chief,
owns about halfthe horses Of the tribe,
and is shreWd and rather despotic
old fellow, who rules by hereditary
descent. He Furnishes offenders In
person. A young man caught selling
whisky to others has been brought
before HIM, and, obedient to his CON-
mands, has stripped to the skin, and
with lifted hands has stood while from
horseback the old chief has lsshed
him until the blood flowed.
The big Columbia, which discover.
ed and gave its name to the great
river of the West, found large COM
munities of Indians near its mouth,
and COmcomly was q native poten-
tate Of widespread rule and no mean
pretensions. With the coming of the
whites the fever and ague began to
prevail, and the Indians were swept
off by thousands, for they insisted on
plunging into the rivers for relief
from the "cold SICK" the result being |
the defamation OF the tribes.
The Hudson Bay Company were
the only white occupants of the coun-
try, which was the case until I843,
when the depopulation of these tribes
was in a great part accomplished, for
they disappeared IS before a pesti
lence. The memory OF the pioneers
OF the fur trade reaches back to the
time when Indian towns, peopled by
thousands, were planted thickly along
the shores OF the Willamette and Co
lumbiG RriVers, near their confluence,
and when their canoes covered the
water in fleets, and their hunters fol-
lowed the chase sfsr
The rule of the Hudson's Bay
Company was, however, bene6cent
one to the tribes, for the agents were
instructed to favor the Indians aud to
enlist them in its service. One OF the
greatest holds upon their confidence
was that the men, and even the Off
GERS, married Indian wives. Tnere
was seldom any clash with Indian
powers or pride, though the story is
told that occasionally threSt OF war
would loom up against Fort Vsncouv-
er and the broad Columbia be literal
ly covered with q hostile Indian
armada, that would come sweeping
down from above to find itself held in
check by o stern array Of other In
dian forces, oa land and river, gath
cred there as the allies OF King
Georges men'-ior thus the English
ars designated by the Indians even I
now. That the interior tribes were
peaceful and useful to the Fur Com
pany, may be seen from the fact that ]
in the spring and fall whole brigades {
would cross from The waters OF. the p,
Red River to the North to bring
supplies and recruits to the company's {
posts, and It vas grand sight to see {
the Canadian yoyagers sh 1oting the
the various rapids OF the Upper Co. ,
Iumbia, and even the forming DIlles
and the magnificent Cascades. (
Back from the coast and away from
the race of fish-eaters, east OF the
great cascade rsnges-whicI, it must
be remembered, are the Sierra Nevs-
das Of the North-4e find the hun.
ing tribes. These are in sll respscts
more warlike, and much more manly
and capable than the coast Iudians.
They are no,, however, less super
stitious, "a was proved when they
murdered the Whitman family in
I847 after they had been for ten years
taught Christianity, and tended in sil
temporal respects with tia grestest
care by DR.. and Mrs. Whitman. The
messles were prevalent, and this i'm
proyident people could not be taught
to use the care withost which physic
was of no avail. Superstition said
the Doctors physic was poison, and
the Doctors life, and many other
lives, answered for the suspicion
Then commenced the era OF the
Indian wars. The scanty population
of the Willamette raised men, and,
more wonderful still, armed, equip
ned. and munitioned them, and afte. I
a long struggle the whites conquered
a peace, and that vas at time when
Government had given them neither
aid nor protection, nor even recog
nition. The Nez Perces have been
and are the noblest OF the Indian
tribes of the pacific Northwest.
In 1856 Oregon was circled With q
belt OF hostile tribes. Then il was 3
Territory merely, and all TO the west