Blogs from Stevenson, Washington, United States, North America

DIRTY MUSKETS At some point during the Ice Ages a mountainside in the Cascade Range along the Columbia River fetched loose and landed in the river. The river got backed up for a while but the water soon channeled through the obstruction and rolled merrily along to the sea. Three small islands were formed upon which native inhabitants, the Klickitats, Chinooks, and Yakimas, in due course found good fishing. The tribes lived in harmony until whites started crowding into Oregon and became a problem. A few whites were okay. Those with Hudson Bay Company were useful trade partners and good neighbors, but they had mysteriously departed. The rush of white settlers flooding down the river to settle in Oregon was not acceptable. By spring of 1856 hostilities had broken out. On March 26 a ... read more