The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1894-08-17

donation act The Rogue river war
Of 1858, will not be forgotten soon.
These tribes were in constant inter
course with those of the Willamette
valley. The Rogue river Indians wei e
not conquered when they agreed to
the treaty of Sept. 10, 1853. 1t will
be remembered that the treaties at
| Champoeg were never ratified. 1t was
well known to the public authority in
| Washington, at the time, and that the
non-rati6cation of the treaties left the
Indian title uneXtinguished. The
causes of the Rogue river war of 1888,
were fully detailed in the various re
ports of tie office of the territory. 1t
cannot therefore be said with justice
that it Was the fault Of the settlers that
nothing was done to arrest the i'm
pending war. The newspapers from
day to day were filed with accounts of
murder by the Indians; sometimes
pack trains were attacked, the camps
of the miners robbed, dead bodies of
white men were found on the noun
tain trails.
In the summer of 1855, after the
discovery Of the Colville mines gen
eral rush took place there. The first
man murdered was miner who was
on his way there with considerable
money and provisions; he was killed by
a party of Yakimas; near the same
time another miner was killed; the
murders on White river occurred some
two months after Agent Bolin, hear
ing of the Yakima murders crossed
over from The Dailes to see Chief
Kamiakin, Onahi, another prominent
chief, was present in camp; Bolin spent
The night there demonstrating with
them for their acts; next day AS he was
returning he was killed by the Indians.
On the 9th or 9th of October, 1855,
the indians of Southern Oregon began
the work of determination; they
slaughtered indiscriminately men, wo-
men and children.
AT about the same date :he war had
opened in Washington territory; tie
movement WAS simultaneous, and was
the result of concert; the Indians
themselves have since admitted their
plans embraced all parts of the coun-
try from north to south; the origin of
the war was not different from that of
any other Indian war; it was the ma
tural result of emigration and settle
ment; and whether the governors of
the territories, public officers and citi-
zens generally, committed an error in
not placing themselves under the con-
troll of General Wool, who came up
after the war had commenced, is not
material now; the war took place. 1t
was an expensive and disast' Gus war,
from the effects of which those who
Contributed to conquer the Indians are
not paid; neither the commanding off
Ger of the military department nor the
citizens of the territories could have
prevented the war; the war continued
for about eight months.
By an act of the 81 Congress, Chap
ter l29, Sec. IL,
1t was enactsd that the secretary Of
war he directed to examine into the
amount of expenses necessarily in
CURED in the suppression of Indian
hostilties in the late Indian war in
Oregon and Washington by the terri
torial governments of said territories,
for the maintenance of the volunteer
forces engaged in said war, including
pay of volunteers, and that he may, If
in his Judgment it be necessary, direct
a commission of three to proceed to
ascertain and report to him all ex-
penses incurred for purposes shown"
The secretary of war did, in compli-
ance with said Sec. IL, appoint A. J.
Smith, captain in the United States
army, Rufus Ingalls,, an officer in the
United States army, and L. F. Grover,
citizen of Oregon, commissioners to
examine into the amount of the ex-
penses necessarily incurred in the sup
preston of said Indian hostiliies in
the Indian war in Oregon and Wash
ington Territories in 1855 and 1856,
by the Territorial governments. I'M
medlately on the receipt of the az
pointment, the members of the COM
mission met at Fort Vancouver, w. T.,
Oct On 1870 orpop,zad tho hoard op1