Weekly Chemawa American., October 07, 1910, Image 1

eelily Cbemawa JUmencan
VOL. 13
OCTOBER 7, 1910
NOS. 12-13 .
Memaloose Island
Memaloose Island, situated in the
Columbia River a few miles below The
Dalles, was fittingly chosen by the sages
of the wild tribes that in ages past in
habited the great plains of the upper
Columbia Basin. Memaloose is an
Indian word signifying dead, hence dead
island or island of the dead. This island
was neutral ground and was used in com-
mon as a burial place by all the tribes
inhabiting either side of the river from
the Cascades to and beyond the Blue
Mountains, among them being the Cas
cades, Klickitats, Wascos, Snakes, Ban
nocks and Umatillas. The river furnish
ed easy means of transportation and they
could float the precious freight down
their beloved river, chanting the death
song on the way, or paddle up from the
Ciscades to this water-guarded ground,
where the dead would be safe from the
ravages of carniv tou beasts. Weapons,
trinkets and apparel were usually buried
with the bodies and many were de
posited in houses built of cedar bark.
There was also a little Memaloose Is
'a"d, just above the Cascades and one
W below The Dalles of the Columbia,
wh'ch were used as temporary burying
grounds, it being intended that the bodies
be in time removed to Memaloose Island.
When the white man had settled the
country in considerable numbers and
had begun to pillage this Indian city of
the dead, it was soon discontinued as a
burial place and many bodies and
trinkets were removed and buried else
where. Many years ago a few citizens of The
Dalles and vicinity organized into a com
pany for the purpose of purchasing the is
land, but it being found that the river
flowed in two channels here, one on
either side of the island and that it
wi,uld likely be claimed jointly by the
State of Oregon and then the Territory
of Washington, the company became dis
couraged and the venture was dropped.
The great flood of 1894 completely
overflowed the smaller burial islands
and swept them clear out of everything.
It overswept a large portion of Mema
loose, washing away everything in its
path except the heavier materials and
after the waters had subsided, bushels
of inliiS were gathered up hy curisosity
hunters and practially nothing is to
('Continued on page 8 )