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U June Olson inspects a 100 year old oven created by members of the Hogg Railroad encampment.
A r. Left: Sahallie Falls, a quick stop on the tour, is thought to be a place where coastal and eastern
' ' ' Oregon tribes met to trade goods.
pTJribal members hear a lot of talk these days
1 1 about Grand Ronde's government-to-gov-U
ernment relationship with the state, and
with the country. President Clinton signed an
Executive Order mandating that federal agencies
work closely with tribes around the country on is
sues that tribes have an interest in. Oregon Gov
ernor John Kitzhaber signed a similar Order that
state agencies must oblige.
Pursuant to that Executive Order, the Forest
Service invited the Tribe's Cultural Resources de
partment and Grand Ronde Elders to visit parts
of Willamette National Forest to provide input on
how to maintain areas of the forest that are cul
turally significant to Grand Ronde tribal people.
On August 31, they travelled to Detroit Ranger
District to meet up with Forest Service workers,
who led them on a two-day tour of different sites
which ended in the Sweet Home Ranger Station
near Albany.
Guests of the Forest Service were: Peachie
Hamm, Grand Ronde Elder; Beryl Contreras,
Grand Ronde Elder; Christine Contreras, tribal
member and student; June Olson .Cultural Re
sources Department Manager; and Lindy Trolan,
Cultural Resource Specialist. Here is a brief over
view of what the group saw, and their cultural
significance.
HOGG RAILROAD CAMP
The first stop on the trip, Hogg Railroad Camp,
was the largest in the Cascades. Ovens and hous
ing areas have been preserved along the Santiam
River near Detroit. Although the encampment is
only 100 years old, it is culturally significant for
several reasons.
Thomas Egenton Hogg was a farmer colonel in
the Confederate Army, convicted in Federal mili
tary court of interfering with the Union's shipping
and whaling efforts in the North Pacific. Hogg
was serving a life term at Alcatraz when the Civil
War ended, and he was granted a pardon. Hogg
then decided to travel to Oregon, where he wanted
to open the first transcontinental rail route
through Oregon, by crossing the state from east to
west, and connecting with the transcontinental
lines in Boise.
The encampment on the Santiam is part of Co
lonial Hoggs dream. The Forest Service believes
that laborers, most likely from Europe, built the
enormous bread ovens from rock and mud that
still stand today. But in the course of excavating
the encampment, the Forest Service, and students
from Western Oregon University, also uncovered
some Native American hunting artifacts.
BRUNO MEADOWS
& SCAR MOUNTAIN
Bruno Meadows is an area that was of great
importance to Willamette Valley tribes, most likely
the Santiam Kalapuya. It was a gathering place,
rich in obsidian for flintknapping, and berries like
the huckleberry and the blackcap. With a breath
taking view of Mount Jefferson, it was also a place
of prayer and vision quest. Scar Mountain is well
known for its abundant huckleberry fields which
have attracted Native Americans to the area for
thousands of years. Travel to and from the area
was established along the Scar Mountain ridgeline
as a major eastwest route that divides the North
and Middle Santiam drainages and which possi
Smoke Signals
bly connected with the Molalla trail to the west.
The numerous sites located along these routes sup
port early use by Indian peoples. These routes
later became incorporated into the Forest Service
trail system. The Tribe and the Forest Service plan
to work together in the future to provide opportu
nities for Grand Ronde Elders and members to visit
these areas and harvest huckleberries and other
plants.
TOMBSTONE PRAIRIE
& SQUAW MOUNTAIN
The Forest Service took tribal guests to these
places to point out traditional plants and gather
ing places for tribes, but to also discuss the possi
bility of appropriate names for the area. Tomb
stone Prairie was originally named Indian Prai
rie, (before the turn of the century) because it was
a popular hunting and camping place for tribal
people. A natural meadow-like opening in the
woods very close to the river, it attracted animals
like deer and elk. But in the late 1800s, a young
man from Albany was killed in accidental shoot
ing while camping at the prairie, and was buried
there by his parents. He was later taken to Al
bany for a formal burial, but the tombstone still
remains, engraved with a poem his mother wrote
in his memory.
When visiting Squaw Mountain, members of the
Forest Service asked the tribal Elders and staff
members if they would be interested in working
together to change the name of the mountain.
Elder Peachie Hamm volunteered right away.
"For me, personally, I would like to see the name
Of this mountain changed," said Peachie. "Squaw
is a very degrading word toward Indian women.
SEPTEMBER 15, 1999
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Peachie Hamm (left) and Beryle Contreras in
points out a patch of bear grass.
I know our people find it offensive."
June Olson said Grand Ronde Elders and rep
resentatives from other tribes who walked along
the trails of the mountain should have input in
what name it will have. Forest Service staff said
that names of landmarks have been changed be
fore in Oregon, and if they all work together, it
can be done.
YUKWAH CAMPGROUND
& NATURE TRAIL
Located in the Sweet Home Ranger District, the
Yukwah Campground and Nature Trail is located
along the South Santiam and was recently restored
by the Forest Service with the help of the Grand
Ronde Tribe. Now a site for hiking, camping, and
fishing, the Yukwah area was part of a major travel
route for Oregon tribes. Yukwah, which means
"here" or "gathering place" in Chinook jargon, pre
serves the traditional hazelnuts, huckleberries,
and other plants used by Indian people.
In 1993, the Sweet Home Ranger District asked
for the Tribe's input in the Yukwah project. Tribal
Council assisted in the planning phases of the
project, and a Natural Resources youth crew
worked there in the summer of 1993 to widen the
trail bed, construct a retaining wall, install bar
rier logs, and spread gravel. Yukwah remains a
popular area for forest visitors.
CAMAS PRAIRIE
The final stop of the tour was a visit to Camas
Prairie, which is an ongoing joint project of the For
est Service and Oregon tribes. In an effort to re
store camas production in the area, the site was
front of a large growth of huckleberry bushes. Peachie
chosen as a desirable place to grow the plant and
could be easily maintained. Camas, a member of
the lily family, was an important food source for
Indian tribes of Oregon and the Northwest. But it
isn't as abundant as it once was. In 1997, the Siletz
Tribe employed a youth crew to remove invasive
plants like ash trees and blackberries from the prai
rie. The following year, both the Grand Ronde and
the Siletz tribes assisted the Forest Service in plant
ing camas seeds and bulbs throughout the prairie.
Today, the camas is thriving. The number of plants
have increased five-fold. The Siletz and Grand
Ronde tribes continue to help maintain the prairie,
and members of the tribes will have opportunities
This trail, near Sweet Home, was created by
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Camas found at Camas Prairie that was planted
by the Forest Service and the Tribes for cul
tural uses.
to visit the prairie and use the camas for teaching
traditional baking and drying.
PTTOhe Grand Ronde Tribe expresses its grati
I I tude to Willamette National Forest and its
U ranger districts for acting responsibly in pre
serving cultural areas for future generations and
keeping the Tribe apprised of changes within these
areas. On the last day of the tour, Peachie Hamm
thanked the Forest Service members for their re
spect and love of the land.
"Grand Ronde Elders want to thank you for all
that you do. We know you're the keepers of our
forest," she said. A
the Tribe's youth crew in 1993.