[or-roots] Missing Cow Creeks

[Nancy Lee Adams]

 Hi,

This may not be what you are all looking for, But thought I would share.

I bought my brother-in-law a book named: "History of Early Days in Oregon" 
by Glenn N. Riddle. It was put out by: 
The Riddle Parent-Teacher association. This Book was first printed in the
Riddle Enterprise as a series of Articles; and it was later published in
Pamphlet form, from the same type and distributed in 1922. Reset and
reprinted in 1948 by the Myrtle Creek Mail for the Riddle Parent Teacher
Association. The Riddles, Stephens, Briggs and many others are my
brother-in-laws family. 

Some of the Original Pioneer families (crossed in 1851)...Book has real
stories about are: 
W.F. Briggs & families / Samuel Briggs / Mr. Isaac Constant, crossed in 1848
/ Elijah & Erastus Hill / Mrs. Elzie Logsdon / Chapmans / I.B. Nichols / J.
A. Worthington(east of Canyonville) / Charles W. Beckwith(of New York state)
/ Baron Munchausen / "Sandy" Yoakum, Owner of the Ferry / Stephen Hussey /
Weaver / Jim Catching / Raymonds / Tabitha Brown / Onna Hall / John Hall /
Lucinda McGill / Campbell Crismen / John Bouseman / Jesse Roberts / Mrs.
Cyrus Russel / John Arzner / I can go on & on with names, just full of our
Pioneer families.
Here is a few paragraphs from this book mentioned above: Mr. Riddle is
telling his own story, that he experienced himself.
Jesse Roberts was a man of great energy and ability, but with out education.
He moved from Polk County Oregon, early in the spring of 1851 settling where
we found him, at Roberts Creek. He had brought with him five hundred herd of
Spanish cattle. These cattle were wild & fierce. So much, that is was
dangerous for a man to appear among them, though they were easily managed on
horseback, as they seemed to be trained to go to the corral when started
from the range. There appeared to be an old cow that would take the lead. I
have seen Roberts two sons, George and Nels, aged about twelve and fifteen,
on there ponies, start several hundred head of these cattle from there range
around Green's station, head them for there corral two miles up Roberts
Creek, all going on the run fairly making the earth shake.
When we arrived at the Roberts place we were treated with the greatest
kindness by Mr. Roberts. We were furnished all the fresh & dried beef we
could use, free of cost. This was a great treat to hungary emigrants,
especially the dried beef to us boys. The dried beef was cured by cutting
the meat in strips, salted, then hung on ropes & dried in the sun, perhaps
aided by fire & smoke.
Mr . Roberts persuaded my father to abandone his plans of going to the
Willamette valley for the winter, but to leave the family in camp near his
place & go on with the ox teams for supplies, which he did and on returning,
we returned to what was afterwards our home at Glenbrook farm__The first
donation land claim located in Cow Creek Valley.
In the next Chapter, Mr. Riddle goes on to tell of his first meeting  with "
MI-WU-LETA ", Chief of the Cow Creek Indians.
It brings out in his first account of The Cow Creek Indians in October 1851.
The nearest house to the Riddle family was Wm. Weaver's house, Eight miles
nearer Myrtle creek & Canyonville, Where Joe Knott was located, and which
was the frontier house in southern Oregon, not a house south of that in the
territory.
But in the next paragraph it starts to read how the Riddle family got to
there location at there Glenbrook land donation claim and in a very short
time, the Indians started coming into the camp as they were curious. Old
Squaws, papooses, and all came to the number of a hundred or more.
So we at least know that in: 1851 there was at least,  100+  Indians living
in the Area of Canyonville, OR.

I also have a copy of the Original book. Many, many pioneer families in this
book dating back: abt: 1839 onwards.  Excellent reading.

Nancy L. Adams
nancydean at columbia-center.org
 
-------Original Message-------
 
From: or-roots at sosinet.sos.state.or.us
Date: 10/21/04 14:15:27
To: or-roots at sosinet.sos.state.or.us
Subject: Re: [or-roots] Missing Cow Creeks
 
Hi Les and Others...
 
My sister and I copied and photographed the Rondeau Cemetery on the old
Vernie Lerwill place above Tiller last summer and I sent copies to you, I
think, and to other interested people on this list.  There was a big fire
that burned down from Bland Mt.  and across the valley below this summer,
but I don't know if the Bland Mt. cemetery was disturbed either.  It is a
different cemetery than the Milo/Lavadour Cemetery.  I grew up in the
Canyonville-Days Creek area and married a guy whose family have been
residents of Drew since the early 1900's.  I've been collecting local
history...including family histories...of the Tiller, Drew, Days Creek, and
Canyonville areas for years, and spent many hours listening to and writing
down the stories of various old-timers of the area including my former
husband's father, uncles, and grandfather.  I was fortunate in knowing many
of the older people who were also interested in the local history and some
had family roots going back to the first white settlers of the area.  I
would have to agree with at least some of what Aloaha A. wrote...at least it
matches the things I heard from oldtimers.  There was a general agreement
that there was not a large number of Indian people in the area when the
first settlers came there, but that relations between the first settlers and
the Indian people were generally amicable...until the trouble down on the
Rogue River between the miners and the Indians.  If you read the first-hand
accounts by Riddle, it details the removal of the Cow Creek band of Umpqua
to the reservation at Grande Ronde where most of them died from the disease
caused by overcrowding and generally horrible conditions.   While it may be
possible that some of those people did hide away, I don't think they are the
same people as those who now call themselves Cow Creek Indians.  The current
"tribe" was actually named a "historic successor tribe" by the federal
government when they were seeking recognition from the federal government in
the 1960's/1970's.  This was in response to the Bureau of Indian Affairs
assertion that none of the people seeking federal tribal recognition were
actually descended from the Cow Creek band of the Umpquas.  Politics aside,
history needs to be recorded as accurately as possible.  I've found quite a
few of the family members in census records, but it is true that some of
them do disappear from Douglas Co...or else they haven't yet appeared there.
 That is kind of the point...they aren't in the census of Douglas Co.
because they are living elsewhere, such as in K. Falls.  I don't know what
the great attraction was in that area, but I do know that some of the guys
from Tiller-Drew went to Lakeview during the 1930's to work in the woods and
at a sawmill there and my former hustand's uncle talked for working in a
mill near Klamath Falls (which would have been in the late 1930's or early
1940's.  
 
Anyway, I'd be interested in a list of who you could not find.  I started
looking at these census records years ago when I was putting together family
information for my nieces and nephew who are descended from the Rondeau
family.  I might have some pieces to your puzzle.
 
I'd be happy to exchange information with anyone interested.
 
 
Carla
 
STEPHENS, HAWLEY, WHEALDON, and SHIELDS in Oregon and Washington.
 
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