Modoc War

I'm still reading "Pacific Northwest Indian Wars" but have found it excruciatingly dry, so I skipped ahead to the chapter about the Modoc war and will not read any of the rest of it. Today I learned that the Modocs twice attempted to live on the Klamath reservation with the Klamath tribe but the Klamaths kept stealing their timber and taunting them and their appeals to the government were not handled effectively. The Klamaths and Modocs used to be the same tribe but had a war and broke apart so they really don't get along very well. We're just about to start the real fighting and Captain Jack is retreating to the lava beds. dun dun dun.

Colonel Gilliam

Today I learned that Colonel Gilliam died during the Cayuse War when a harness or lead rope caught on the trigger of a pistol and caused him to get shot and die.

Colonel Cornelius Gilliam

Colonel Gilliam served in both the Black Hawk and Seminole Indian wars on the East Coast, was a captain of State Militia of Missouri when they tried to expel the Mormons from the state, and then went on to fight the Cayuse war (and maybe more, I don't know yet) in Oregon territory. He was super anti-any-religion-except-his-own and was prepared to blame the Catholics for the Indian war, and even to go up against the Hudson's Bay Company, even though only one of their main leaders was Catholic.

Modoc wars

Today I learned that the fighting with the Modoc Indians was some of the fiercest in the northwest. Apparently the Modocs were put on a reservation with an enemy tribe and were understandably unhappy about the situation so they rebelled. They ended up waging battle over in the lava beds.

Grand Coulee Dam and Mount Rainier

Today I learned that Grand Coulee Dam, in addition to having the highest output of any dam in the United States, is three times the size of the largest Egyptian pyramid, and has enough concrete to make two four-lane transcontinental highways.

I also learned that The Supreme Court (I think?) ruled that Mount Rainier's name should be changed back to Tacoma in 1924, but the change got held up bureaucratically and never actually happened.

Rowing

Today I learned that Lake Ewauna can go from beautifully calm to ridiculously windy with rolling waves and whitecaps very quickly. Not so good when I'm out in a double wherry with a beginner rower.

Rowing

Today I learned that rowing is very frustrating with beginners in a four (a four is four people with sweep oars, one oar per person, usually with a coxswain).

Hell's Canyon

Today I learned that Hell's Canyon, in Oregon, is deeper, at 2436meters, than the Grand Canyon (1737meters). I also learned that the Snake river, which runs through hells canyon, is one of the major tributaries of the Columbia river and that it is one of the largest rivers in the US, with only three rivers having a higher hydroelectric potential, one of which is the Columbia, and I forgot what the other two are.

Bend

Today I learned that at the time Farthest Reach was written (1941), Bend, Oregon, was expected to only have 10 more years worth of lumber. I wonder what they came up with to keep the city alive?

The Settling of Oregon

I just finished the book "Adventurers of Oregon" by Constance Lindsay Skinner. It's an interesting narrative and includes details mostly of the fur trade in early America. The parts that I have found thought provoking are the start of the vast American settler influx and e role of alcohol in trading with the native Americans.

After the war of 1812 the British controlled much of the Oregon territory through the Hudson Bay company, lead at the time by one McLaughlin. he ruled the area much as a feudal lord and was respected by white and native alike. He was strong and fair. The natives called him chief white eagle and everyone lived fairly peaceably. some farming was established by retired traders. Then one of the native tribes, the Salish, sent some men to find Clark (from Lewis and Clark), to ask him to give them a bible and to send a missionary to teach them. Clark did not do so, but word of the expedition got out and interest in Oregon rose once again. After this a flood of missionaries and settlers began to head for Oregon. The natives became uneasy about their lands being taken. McLaughlin was deposed as the Americans were against the Hudson's bay company (despite being treated fairly and generously), and the natives began to rise up. I don't doubt that settlers would eventually have come to Oregon, but I can't help but wonder how long it would have taken had the Salish not sent to Clark in search of the Bible.

The use of alcohol in trading with the native Americans was a controversial practice. Some trading companies provided alcohol liberally and some forbade the practice of trading with alcohol. I am a little torn on the topic. On the one hand I commend The companies that did not allow alcohol because they seem much more honest and concerned for the well-being of their fellow men, but on the other hand, I believe that the natives should have been able to withstand the temptation. Having lived near an Indian reservation, I have seen first-hand the hold that alcohol still has on many of the people. It makes me wonder if there is some genetic predisposition toward alcoholism or perhaps some historical reason why the natives would be likely to become abusers of alcohol. Is it because it was so new? Who knows. I do think it contributed to the decline of the natives and their defeat by the Americans. I was also surprised at how much the tribes warred against each other and it made me a little sad every time a tribe was kind and helpful to the whites. Part of me wishes I could warn them that they are facilitating their own downfall through their kindness. Who knows, but we may never have discovered the mouth of the Columbia at all without their help.