The Plateau Culture Area is the area between the Cascade Mountains and the Rocky Mountains in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, British Columbia, and Western Montana. From north to south it runs from the Fraser River in the north to the Blue Mountains in the south. Much of the area is classified as semi-arid. Part of it … Continued
Almost since the foundation of the United States, the westward expansion of the country was guided by Manifest Destiny, the idea that it was the country’s destiny to span the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific. By the middle of the nineteenth century, it was clearly evident that the way of westward expansion would … Continued
The Great Basin is an area that includes the high desert regions between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains. It is bounded on the north by the Columbia Plateau and on the south by the Colorado Plateau. It includes southern Oregon and Idaho, a small portion of southwestern Montana, western Wyoming, eastern California, all … Continued
In 1819, the Spanish missions in California were continuing their practice of enslaving Indians in order to convert them to Christianity. At this time, the Spanish had begun to congregate the Yokuts from the San Joaquin Valley at the San Juan Bautista Mission. Congregation involved resettling the Indians in the mission compounds so that they … Continued
In 1850, the United States Congress passed the Oregon Donation Land Law which granted non-Indians the right to occupy lands in the Oregon territory regardless of the Indians who might be living there. The following year, non-Indian settlement began at what would become Pendleton, Oregon. The Oregon Donation Land Law ignored American Indian land rights. … Continued
About 8500 BCE, in the Columbia Plateau region, the Windust phase began to replace Clovis. Clovis spear points, with their characteristic flute, were replaced with leaf-shaped and stemmed points. Archaeologist James Keyser, in his book Indian Rock Art of the Columbia Plateau, writes: “Living in the numerous rock shelters throughout the central Columbia Plateau, and … Continued
The Inuit are a Native American people whose homelands are in the Canadian Arctic. A special exhibit at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, Washington, featured The Inuit Art of Povungnituk. Povungnituk is a village on the eastern shores of Hudson Bay in Arctic Quebec. This artwork provides some insights into the … Continued
The rest stop to the south of the interstate near Memaloose Island in Oregon has an interesting display outlining the history of the Oregon Trail. Pathway to the “Garden of the World” The map shown above shows the location of the Memaloose Rest Area in relation to modern highways, the rivers, and the Oregon Trails. … Continued
In 1869, Flathead chief Victor dictated a letter to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in which he discussed the problems facing the Flathead in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana. He asked for justice for his people. Background At the time when the Corps of Discovery under the leadership of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark made … Continued
In 1914, the nations of Europe began the conflict which would become known as the Great War and later as World War I. In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson called for the United States to enter what he called “the war to end all wars” and “to make the world safe for democracy.” The military estimated … Continued
