southtillamookcounty.com
History
"Short History of the Little Nestucca River Valley and Its Early Pioneers" written about South Tillamook County, Oregon
The page below was written by Mrs. Hardy Rock (Alexandria LEY Rock) and published in 1949. NVMS students have retyped her history so that many may read it. Although some punctuation errors have been corrected the text remains as written by Mrs. Rock.
Note that Alexandria LEY Rock's "Short History of the Little Nestucca River Valley and Its Early Pioneers" has been republished in book form as of January 2007 and is now being offered for sale by the Tillamook County Historical Society!
(This page was
typed by NVMS 7th grader, Heather, during the spring of 2002 and edited by Dean
Bones.)
The Little Nestucca
country lies in the southern part of Tillamook County, Oregon, bounded on the
south by Lincoln County, on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the north and
northwest by Nestucca Bay and the Little Nestucca River. It includes the section
called Meda and the narrow valley of the Little Nestucca River southeasterly
from the coast to Dolph.
For generations
it was inhabited by Indians whose tribal name was "Stagaush" meaning
"people of Saga." They consisted of 24 Nestuggas (notice spelling),
100 Tillamooks, a few Clatsops, and some Nehalims (notice spelling) numbering
not far from 200 who had not been a party to any treaty. They lived by hunting
and fishing, knew nothing of education, were cruel and vicious, extremely unsanitary,
were morally degraded living according to the tradition of the Tribes to which
they belonged. Men beat their squaws and children, traded squaws for other squaws
or even a fish; gathered wild berries and herbs, made bark tents and canoes
fashioned from logs which they paddled with crudely made oars.
About 1855 this
section was set aside as an Indian Reservation and continued as such until 1876
when it was thrown open for settlement by the whites. This made removal of the
Indians compulsory, yet they refused to leave it, claiming it as their own.
Through the efforts of Special Commissioner Simpson, they reluctantly consented
to move to the mouth of the Salmon River in Lincoln County on condition they
be included under the Grand Ronde Agency.
When James B.
Uptown from Oregon City tried to take possession of the cabin on the claim he
had selected, Chief Nestugga Bill refused to leave it, claiming it as his. After
considerable pow-wowing, Joe Woods, who was present and could speak Jargon,
persuaded Chief Nestugga Bill to leave if Upton would pay him $30.00 cash. This
sum Upton did not have. It was finally settled by Upton giving Joe Woods $15.00
cash and Joe Woods gave the Indian a Cayuse. Joe Woods filed on a claim on what
is now the town of Woods on the Big Nestucca River. Although the Government
had allotted the Indians lands of Salmon River in exchange for the Reservation
they were forced to give up, they refused to depart until the tides were right
to move by water. In June, 1876, they, with all their possessions in their canoes,
paddled out over the bar into the Ocean and made a landing at the mouth of the
Salmon River.
There was considerable
trouble with the Indians in these early days. General Phil Sheridan arrived
in Vancouver, Washington, from California in 1855, and was ordered to Grand
Ronde April, 1855.
The town of Sheridan was named for him. He had a residence built for himself on top of the hill at old Grand Ronde overlooking the level plains beyond occupied by Indians. A strong fort was built in 1856 neat the Agency building, which was near the site of the present Catholic Church. The Fort was to guard exits from Grand Ronde and Siletz reservations to which the hostile Indians under Chief John had been removed. The Fort was later moved intact to Dayton, Oregon.
Continue to page 5 of "Short History of the Little Nestucca River Valley and Its Early Pioneers!"