SEPTEMBER 1, 2005
Smoke Signals 3
Original Site Of Old Blockhouse Will Become Interpretive Site
One of a kind project at Fort Yamhill will focus on archaeological and Tribal history.
By Toby McClary
In 1856, the Coast Indian Reserva
tion was established when the United
States Army forcibly relocated Native
Tribes of the Willamette Valley and
moved them to Grand Ronde, Oregon.
Civil War general Philip 1 1. Sheridan
supervised the construction of what
eventually became Fort Yamhill.
Through archaeological digs and a ver
bal history from legends of the area, the
story of Fort Yamhill will soon be told.
The Oregon State Parks and Recre
ation Department (OPRD) and the
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
(CTGR) will join forces to bring the his
tory of Fort Yamhill back to life.
"I think it's great that OPRD and
the Tribe are working together on this
project," said Park Manager Eric
Timmons. "It will allow a more ac
curate story to be told from all per
spectives." What was once a military camp that
supervised traffic between Willamina
and the Oregon coast, and served as a
buffer zone between the created Grand
Ronde Reservation and the local set
tlers, is now an open, grassy field with
a historic background just waiting to
be uncovered.
OPRD has been working with arche
ologists for several years, uncovering
foundations, digging for artifacts and
putting a timeline on the many events
that took place at this historic site.
Original bricks from the fireplaces
that were built in the houses were
among the many things uncovered at
Fort Yamhill. The bricks are believed .
to have come from Ballesville, now
known as Ballston, Oregon, around
1850 and can presently be seen at the
Fort Yamhill site.
There were at least 24 buildings as
sociated with Fort Yamhill including
the officer's quarters, a kitchen, a mess
hall, the barracks housing the 200
plus soldiers, a store and of course, the
blockhouse. The blockhouse, which
was used as a jail, is believed to have
been in a location north of the officer's
quarters before being moved to a more
central location of the fort.
"Rumor has it that the blockhouse
was moved so the soldiers could keep
a better eye on the Native camps be
low," said Timmons.
In 1911, the blockhouse was moved
to the town of Dayton, Oregon, where
it still stands today. It was sold for
$2.50.
Perhaps one of the most interesting
stories on the site is that of an aban
doned house that still remains on the
Fort Yamhill property. The 22x59 foot
structure was built on officers' row in
the 1850's. Though the house has been
There were a total of six buildings on
officer's row, four that were completed
and two that were unfinished. Each
building housed an officer and his fam
ily. In 1866, ten years after the fort
was built, the fort was abandoned and
disassembled. All of the buildings on
the property were auctioned off to the
public.
Fort Yamhill holds major signifi
cance in Oregon's cultural history.
There are no other historic military
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1 1 1 until M lll'f MIlfclMl Q-
Original Site Park Manager for
Oregon State Parks Eric Timmons
(above) stands on the grounds where
the blockhouse once stood in the mid
1800's. The blockhouse served as a jail
in Fort Yamhill and overlooked the Native camps below. Spirit Mountain can be
seen in the background. Timmons holds an original brick (right) that was made in
the 1850's and used for a fireplace in oneof the officer's quarters. The bricks are
believed to have come from Ballesville, which is now known as Ballston, Oregon.
remodeled and upgraded by the many
families that have occupied it since,
there are still many original architec
tural designs that have remained
throughout the years. Some of them
include the original bay window, the
original doorways and some of the origi
nal support beams. The house is cur
rently being restored and will be
relocated to its original location in the
next few years.
sites in the state of Oregon that directly
interpret the relationship between the
United States Government and Native
Americans. Fort Yamhill Park will
focus on the cultural history of the site
through experiences of the soldiers,
relocated Tribal members and the in
teraction between the two.
"The park is intended to provide an
archaeological history of Fort Yamhill,"
said Tribal Engineer Eric Scott.
Early in 2004, Oregon Governor Ted
Kulongoski announced an initiative
titled "One Park A Year." The plan is
to open one new state park, either for
recreation or heritage or both, every
year for the next ten years.
In June of 2004, ground breaking jbr
the I lares Canyon State Park in Wash
ington County took place, the first new
state park in Oregon since 1972.
"Oregon's state parks represent
some of the most important, beauti
ful and natural landscapes in Or
egon," said Kulongoski in a 2004
speech. "Our state parks are places
where we can work together to as
sure that our collective cultural heri
tage is protected and presented in a
well-rounded and culturally sensitive
way." With the help of the Grand
Ronde, he added, Fort Yamhill will
be developed in a balanced and fair
way that does justice to Fort
Yamhill's cultural significance to
both Indians and non-Indians."
The grand opening of the Fort
Yamhill Park is scheduled to coincide
with the arrival of the Lewis & Clark
Corps of Discovery in March of 2006.
The construction, which is all being
done by the Tribe's construction com
pany, Round Valley, LLC, will include
walking trails, restoration of the
officer's quarters, relocation of power
lines, access road, flagpole and fence re
construction and a new entrance road
and campground managed by CTGR.
The new entrance road will turn off
of Highway 22 about a half mile from
Kissing Rock. It will enter the Tribe's
137 acres near the old Bailey property.
The road will then wind around the
property near the new campground
and pow-wow grounds, which will be
ready for the Annual Pow-wow in 2006,
and finally end at the parking lot on
the Fort Yamhill property. The access
road will be about 3,200 feet long.
Despite the unfortunate events that
took place at Fort Yamhill in the mid
1800's, the Fort Yamhill Park will
open up an opportunity to explain the
daily life of military personnel as well
as the hardships of the Native Ameri
cans on the reservation.
Grand Ronde Royalty Makes Appearance On AM Northwest
it
J i
TV Stars On Tuesday, August 16, the
Grand Ronde Royalty was invited to sit in on
the set of AM Northwest in the KATU studios
in Portland. Many of the parents were in at
tendance as well as Tribal Chairwoman
Cheryle Kennedy (above). After the show,
the Royalty posed for a picture with AM North
west hosts Helen Raptis and Ken Ackerman.
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