1854 — Feb 15, Miller group massacres Chetco Natives, Chetco River mouth, SW OR– ~26

— ~26 Gibbs, Jim. Oregon’s Salty Coast. Seattle: Superior Publishing Co., 1978, p. 43.*
–23 men
–~3 women (our stand-in number for the phrase “several squaws”)
— ~26 Palmer, Joel. “Report to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs,” 9-11-1854, pp. 465-466.
–23 “Indians”
–~3 “squaws” (our stand-in number for the phrase “several squaws”)
— ~26 Schwartz, E. A. The Rogue River Indian War and its Aftermath, 1850–1980. 1997, 63.

*Note on Gibbs: The Gibbs narrative is virtually identical to that of Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Oregon Palmer.

Narrative Information

Palmer: “About three miles north of our boundary line a stream empties into the ocean, designated on the map of the coast survey as Illinois river; the Indian name, Chetco. Here are many indications of having once resided a numerous people. In the fall of 1853, one Miller and several associates located land claims in this vicinity. They first built their houses about a quarter of a mile from the mouth of the river, to which the Indians made no objections. Subsequently, knowing that the newly discovered mines would attract a large population, they projected a town speculation, formed an association, and selected a site at the mouth of Chetco river. The face of the country is such that the crossing must be at the mouth of the river by a ferry; here were two Indian villages on the opposite banks of the river, of twenty lodges each. This ferry was of no small importance. The new town site included one of the Indian villages, and when preparations were made to erect a house within its limits, the Indians strongly protested; but at last acquiescing, the cabin was built and occupied by Miller. Hitherto the Indians had enjoyed the benefits of the ferry; but now, Miller informed them that they must no longer ferry white people. They, however, sometimes did so, and were threatened with the destruction of their lodges if they did not desist.

“In February last, the misunderstanding grew to such a pitch, that several of the men who had been engaged in fighting Indians on Smith’s river, were called in by Miller and quartered in his house for nearly two weeks. Becoming unwilling to tarry longer, they were about to return to their homes; Miller objected to their leaving him till they had accomplished something for his relief, as on their departure he would be subjected to the same annoyance as before. Accordingly, the next morning at daylight the party, consisting of eight or nine well-armed men, attacked the village, and as the Indians came from their lodges twelve of them were shot dead by these monsters. The women and children were permitted to escape. Three men remained in the lodges, and returned the fire with bows and arrows. Being unable to get a sight of these Indians, they ordered two squaws, pets in the family of Miller, to set fire to the lodges. Two were consumed in the conflagration; the third, while raising his head through the flames and smoke for breath, was shot dead. What adds to the atrocity of the deed is, that shortly before the massacre, the Indians were induced to sell the whites their guns, under the pretext that friendly relations were firmly established. The Indians kept up a random fire from the opposite village during the day, but without effect, and at night fled to the mountains. The next day all the lodges on the north bank were burned; and the day following, those on the southern, two only excepted, belonging to the friends of an Indian who acted with Miller and his party. This horrid tragedy was enacted about the 15th of February, and on my arrival, on the 8th of May, the place was in the peaceable possession of Miller.

“….After the massacre, the Indians several times approached the settlement, robbed houses, and once attacked three men, but succeeded in killing none. Twenty-three Indians and several squaws were killed prior to my arrival.

“Miller was subsequently arrested and placed in the custody of the military at Port Orford; but on his examination before a justice of the peace, was set at large on the ground of justification, and want of sufficient evidence to commit….

“These narratives will give you some idea of the state of affairs in the mining districts on this coast. Arrests are evidently useless, as no act of a white man against an Indian, however atrocious, can be followed by a conviction.” (Palmer, Joel (Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Oregon). “Report to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs,” 9-11-1854, in Report of the Secretary of the Interior for 1854, pp. 465-466.)

Schwartz: “In February there was another deadly episode on the coast at the mouth of the Chetco River, the same episode about which Sam Van Pelt would write some eighty years later. Joel Palmer reported that A. F. Miller and his associates had come to the Chetco River in the fall of 1853 and built dwellings about a quarter of a mile up from the mouth of the river. The Indians had not objected. When newly discovered mines seemed likely to draw people to the area, however, the white men ‘projected a town speculation’ and picked a site at the mouth of the river. There was an Indian town of about twenty houses on each bank of the river, and the would-be town site included one of the Chetco towns.

“Over the protests of the Chetco people, the whites built a cabin, which Miller occupied. He then decided to take over the ferry business from the Chetcos, and the Chetcos who objected were threatened with arson. To protect himself, Miller brought in several men who had been recently fighting Indians in nearby northern California. After two weeks of inactivity, these intimidators were ready to leave, but Miller objected. He wanted them to take positive action to deal with his dissatisfied Chetco neighbors.

“Palmer said he was told that ‘shortly before the massacre the Indians were induced to sell the whites their guns, under the pretext that friendly relations were firmly established.’ At daylight on February 15, 1854, the morning after Miller demanded action, a party of eight or nine well-armed men attacked the village. They shot men as they emerged from their houses. Three of the Chetco men stayed in their houses and returned fire with bows and arrows, Palmer said. To deal with them, Miller’s men ordered two Indian women, whom Palmer described as ‘pets in the family of Miller,’ to set fire to the houses. Two of the Chetco men who were still fighting were killed by the fires. The third was shot dead while raising his head to catch a breath. In all, twenty-three men and several women were killed.

“Miller was arrested, but a justice of the peace set him free on the mutually exclusive grounds that the evidence was insufficient and the attack had been justified. Palmer concluded that making arrests was useless because ‘no act of a white man against an Indian, however atrocious, can be followed by a conviction’.” (Schwartz, E. A . The Rogue River Indian War and its Aftermath, 1850–1980. Norman and London: University of Oklahoma Press, 1997, pp. 62-63.)

Sources

Gibbs, Jim. Oregon’s Salty Coast. Seattle: Superior Publishing Co., 1978.

Palmer, Joel (Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Oregon). “Report to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs,” 9-11-1854, in Report of the Secretary of the Interior for 1854. Accessed 10-29-2012 at: http://www.ohs.org/the-oregon-history-project/historical-records/report-from-joel-palmer-1854.cfm

Schwartz, E. A. The Rogue River Indian War and its Aftermath, 1850–1980. Norman and London: University of Oklahoma Press, 1997. Partially Google digitized. Accessed 9-7-2012 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=OZwAnfQj62cC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false