SOU receives battlefield preservation grant from National Park Service
Editor’s note: The Siletz Tribe has
the primary connection to this battle site
in particular. A mix of southwest coastal
(Curry, Josephine and Jackson counties)
Tribes were there and after this battle
were rounded up and brought to the Siletz
Reservation. The Siletz Tribe supported
the grant application and is participating
in the work.
ASHLAND, Ore. – Southern Oregon
University has received a grant of $92,600
from the National Park Service’s Ameri-
can Battlefield Protection Program to
produce a multiple property nomination
to the National Register of Historic Places
for sites related to the Rogue River War
(1855-1856) in Southern Oregon.
This is part of a long-term commit-
ment by regional partners to interpret the
Rogue River War in a holistic way for
the public and interested scholars. The
project will conduct historical research,
an archaeological survey and geographic
information system (GIS) mapping to
determine conflict boundaries.
“From the shores of the Mariana
Islands to an old Dutch fort in Delaware
to a man-made mountain defense in
Vermont, these places hold clues to our
past,” said National Park Service Direc-
tor Jonathan B. Jarvis. “Preserving and
understanding these sites allows us to
reveal a complex history representing mul-
tiple sides of the story, as well as stories
of sacrifice and heroism that ultimately
shape our nation today.”
“As current events demonstrate, wars
are often more than two armies oppos-
ing each other across an open field,” said
Mark Tveskov, principal researcher on the
grant-funded project. “On the frontier of
Oregon in the 1850s, the front lines were
people’s homes – both settlers and Native
Americans – and the conflicts involved
men, women and children. This is our
shared American history and the grant
gives us the opportunity to tell the story.”
This grant is one of 20 from the
National Park Service totaling $1.198
million to preserve and protect signifi-
cant battle sites from all wars fought on
American soil.
Funded projects preserve battlefields
from the colonial-Indian wars through
World War II and include site mapping
(GPS/GIS data collection), archaeologi-
cal studies, National Register of Historic
Places nominations, preservation and
management plans.
Federal, state, local and Tribal gov-
ernments, nonprofit organizations and
educational institutions are eligible for
National Park Service battlefield grants
that are awarded annually. Since 1996,
more than $18 million has been awarded
by the American Battlefield Protection
Program to help preserve significant his-
toric battlefields associated with wars on
American soil.
Additional information is online at
nps.gov/abpp.
Rogue River War project
The Southern Oregon University
Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA)
currently is conducting archaeological
research on eight historical sites of the
Rogue River War.
Anthropologists’ work includes his-
torical research; precise mapping of the
sites including archaeological excavation;
and artifact analysis and mapping. This
work will culminate in the presentation
of several archaeological sites as a single
collective of Rogue River War sites and
will serve as a significant addition to State
of Oregon history.
“The timing of this news is perfect.
Currently, our field school is exploring
one of the missing pieces of the puzzle
and that’s the archaeology of the pioneer
side of this conflict,” said Chelsea Rose,
project archaeologist. “This week we’ve
recovered the bullets, bottles and beads
of the settlers huddled in a muddy fort on
the western frontier at the end of the war.”
This summer, SOULA is conducting
archaeological research on two sites asso-
ciated with the Rogue River War as part
of its summer archaeological field school.
This portion of the project is funded
in part by the Oregon State Parks and Rec-
reational Department (OPRD). The proj-
ect includes geophysical survey, extensive
documentary research, large-scale excava-
tion and a public archaeology program at
the Geisel Monument State Heritage Site
and at Miner’s Fort in Curry County.
This project is the latest aspect of a
multi-year collaboration with the Bureau
of Land Management, OPRD, the Oregon
Department of Transportation (ODOT),
the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians,
the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde,
the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians,
the Coquille Indian Tribe, and the Con-
federated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua
and Siuslaw Indians.
Previous work on Rogue River War
sites includes archaeological excavations
at the 1852 wreck of the schooner Captain
Lincoln on Coos Bay, the remains of the
U.S. Army’s Fort Lane near Central Point
and the site of the Battle of Hungry Hill
that took place in late October 1855.
This summer’s Curry County research
will benefit from the partnerships devel-
oped during these earlier projects.
hands-on experiences in fieldwork, labo-
ratory analysis, conference presentation,
writing and career networking.
SOULA regularly works with the
Coquille Indian Tribe, the Cow Creek
Band of Umpqua Indians, the Siletz
Tribe, the Grand Ronde Tribe, ODOT,
OPRD, Bureau of Land Management,
National Park Service, City of Jackson-
ville, City of Bandon and many other
agencies and municipalities.
Visit SOULA at sou.edu/soula and on
Facebook at facebook.com/SouthernOre-
gonUniversityLaboratoryofAnthropology.
About SOU
Southern Oregon University is a
medium-size campus that provides com-
prehensive educational opportunities with
a strong focus on student success and
intellectual creativity.
Located in vibrant Ashland, Ore.,
SOU remains committed to diversity and
inclusion for all students on its environ-
mentally sustainable campus. Connected
learning programs taught by a host of
exceptional faculty provide quality, innova-
tive experiences for students.
Visit sou.edu for more information.
Courtesy photo by Andrea Suitter
Welcome, Joe Lane Jr. – new Tribal Council member
Joe Lane Jr. is sworn into office by Election Board Chair April Middaugh on
Oct. 18. Lane replaces David Hatch, who passed away Sept. 20. The
Constitution of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians states the following
about vacancies on the Tribal Council: “In the event that any elective Tribal
office becomes vacant between elections, the chairman shall recommend a
person who meets the requirements of a candidate for that position to fill the
vacancy. Such person shall assume office to serve the remainder of the term
upon approval of the appointment by the Tribal Council.” Since Hatch most
recently was elected to the Tribal Council in February 2015, Lane will complete
a term that expires in February 2018.
About the National Park Service
More than 20,000 National Park
Service employees care for America’s
411 national parks and work with com-
munities across the nation to help preserve
local history and create close-to-home
recreational opportunities.
Visit nps.gov; on Facebook, facebook.
com/nationalparkservice; on Twitter, twit-
ter.com/natlparksservice, and on YouTube
at youtube.com/nationalparkservice.
Tribal RV parks have space available for you
Lincoln City, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Logan Road RV Park
loganroadrvpark.com or
877-LOGANRV
Hee Hee Illahee RV Resort
heeheeillahee.com or
877-564-7295
About SOULA
SOULA connects culture, history and
place in a meaningful way. We conduct
grant- and contract- funded research that
includes archaeological survey, excavation,
and analysis; GIS mapping; and oral his-
tory and ethno-historic research.
We serve the interests of our university
and community, and we select projects in
partnership with private, local, state, fed-
eral and Tribal organizations in ways that
meet our collaborators’ needs and such
that the resultant data become a source for
expanded research and public education.
Students pursuing sociology, anthro-
pology and other majors benefit from
November 2016
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Siletz News
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