Malheur Reservation
Encyclopedia
The Malheur Reservation was an Indian reservation
in the U.S. state
of Oregon
from 1872 to 1879.
for the Northern Paiute
. It was intended for "all the roving and straggling bands in Eastern and Southeastern Oregon, which can be induced to settle there." There were then about 800 Northern Paiutes in settlements and at Forts Harney
and Klamath in Southern Oregon
, Fort Bidwell in northeastern California
, and Fort McDermitt in northern Nevada
.
The reservation covered roughly the area drained by the South, Middle and North Forks of the Malheur River
. It comprised approximately 2285 square miles (5,918.1 km²) or 1778560 acres (7,197.6 km²). At that time, salmon still ran up the Columbia
and the Snake
rivers into the North Fork from the Pacific Ocean
.
settlers began requesting changes to the boundaries of the reservation. In 1876, settlers asked for the exclusion of the Silvies River
Valley and the Harney Lake
Basin on the southwest edge of the reservation. In January of that year, President Grant
, under pressure from settlers, ordered the northern shores of Malheur Lake
open for settlement. This was a blow to the Paiutes, because that was an area important to the tribe for wada (Suaeda calceoliformis
) seeds. (The Paiutes around Malheur Lake were known as the Wadatika: the "wada-seed-eaters".) Settlers along Willow Creek Valley on the eastern edge of the reservation also protested the boundaries.
In addition, the reservation straddled trails between then northern Grant County
, where Chief Joseph
of the Nez Perce had received orders to move with his people to Idaho
, and southern Grant County. Cattle ranchers in the former Nez Perce lands had begun to drive herds along those trails to Central Pacific
railheads in northern Nevada for shipment. In the high desert
country of Eastern Oregon, the streams and pastures along those trails became more valuable for sustaining the cattle on the drives.
in May 1878 led the Paiutes to abandon the Malheur Reservation and take refuge on Steens Mountain
to the south of the Harney Basin. Steens Mountain is a large block-fault formation, and its eastern escarpment rises almost straight up from the Alvord Desert
, making it relatively easy to defend. They were joined there by the Bannock
s coming west from Idaho. When U. S. Army
units under the command of General Oliver O. Howard
began moving towards their positions, the united Paiutes and Bannocks decided to flee into the Blue Mountains
to the north of the Harney Basin. They raided isolated ranches as they fled northward, killing some settlers, and taking horses and cattle. In engagements with the Army, both Paiutes and soldiers were killed.
Near the Umatilla Agency on the Columbia River, the Umatillas saw that the Paiutes and Bannocks were not going to prevail against the U. S. Army. The Umatilla
s allied themselves with the Army, and under the guise of negotiation, entered an encampment of Paiutes and Bannocks, where they killed one of the principal Paiute war leaders, Egan
, and a number of his followers. After that point, having lost their leader, scattered bands of Paiutes took refuge in the mountains, and the Bannocks tried to return to Idaho. Ultimately, most Paiutes surrendered, and were interned at the Malheur Reservation.
, in Washington, 350 miles (563.3 km) to the north. Other Paiutes and Bannocks were scattered about Eastern Oregon, northeastern California and northern Nevada, working for settlers or engaged in subsistence hunting and gathering. More than a year after the war, most had not moved back onto the reservation as the U. S. government had urged. Still others were interned at Vancouver Barracks in Washington. Ranchers and settlers had started to graze their herds on the best meadowlands of the reservation, and the U. S. Army had been reluctant to remove the trespassers. In his annual report in August 1879, Agent W. V. Rinehart, who had fought in the West
under General Crook
and held negative views of the native people, opined that the reservation should be discontinued, in part because the support for all agencies in Oregon was spread too thin to be effective. In October of that year, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs discontinued the agency.
.
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
from 1872 to 1879.
Establishment
On September 12, 1872, a presidential order set aside the Malheur Indian Reservation in Eastern OregonEastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity, thus the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost counties in the state; in other contexts, it includes...
for the Northern Paiute
Paiute
Paiute refers to three closely related groups of Native Americans — the Northern Paiute of California, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon; the Owens Valley Paiute of California and Nevada; and the Southern Paiute of Arizona, southeastern California and Nevada, and Utah.-Origin of name:The origin of...
. It was intended for "all the roving and straggling bands in Eastern and Southeastern Oregon, which can be induced to settle there." There were then about 800 Northern Paiutes in settlements and at Forts Harney
Fort Harney
Fort Harney was a United States Army outpost in eastern Oregon, United States. It was name in honor of Brigadier General William S. Harney. Fort Harney was used as a supply depot and administrative headquarters from 1867 to 1880 during the Army's campaign against Northern Paiute bands in Eastern...
and Klamath in Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range, excluding the southern Oregon Coast. Counties include Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, and Josephine. It includes the Southern Oregon American Viticultural Area, which consists of the...
, Fort Bidwell in northeastern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and Fort McDermitt in northern Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
.
The reservation covered roughly the area drained by the South, Middle and North Forks of the Malheur River
Malheur River
The Malheur River is a tributary of the Snake River in eastern Oregon in the United States. It drains a high desert area, between the Harney Basin and the Blue Mountains and the Snake....
. It comprised approximately 2285 square miles (5,918.1 km²) or 1778560 acres (7,197.6 km²). At that time, salmon still ran up the Columbia
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
and the Snake
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
rivers into the North Fork from the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
Reductions and Incursions
Almost immediately, EuropeanEuropean American
A European American is a citizen or resident of the United States who has origins in any of the original peoples of Europe...
settlers began requesting changes to the boundaries of the reservation. In 1876, settlers asked for the exclusion of the Silvies River
Silvies River
The Silvies River flows for about through Grant and Harney counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. The river drains of the northern Harney Basin....
Valley and the Harney Lake
Harney Lake
Harney Lake is a shallow alkali lake basin located in southeast Oregon, United States, approximately thirty miles south of the town of Burns. The lake lies within the boundary of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and is the lowest point in the Blitzen Valley drainage.- History :The lake has been...
Basin on the southwest edge of the reservation. In January of that year, President Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
, under pressure from settlers, ordered the northern shores of Malheur Lake
Malheur Lake
Malheur Lake is a lake in an arid region of eastern Oregon, United States near Burns, Oregon. The lake is fed by Donner und Blitzen River from the south and the Silvies River from the north. Malheur Lake has no outlet, though water escapes through ground seepage and by evaporation; widespread...
open for settlement. This was a blow to the Paiutes, because that was an area important to the tribe for wada (Suaeda calceoliformis
Suaeda
Suaeda is a genus of plants also known as seepweeds and seablites. Most species are confined to saline or alkaline soil habitats, such as coastal salt-flats and tidal wetlands. Many species have thick, succulent leaves, a characteristic seen in various plant genera that thrive in salty habitats...
) seeds. (The Paiutes around Malheur Lake were known as the Wadatika: the "wada-seed-eaters".) Settlers along Willow Creek Valley on the eastern edge of the reservation also protested the boundaries.
In addition, the reservation straddled trails between then northern Grant County
Grant County, Oregon
Grant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the 8 county definition of Eastern Oregon. In 2010, its population was 7,445. It is named for President Ulysses S. Grant, who served as an army officer in the Oregon Territory, and at the time of the county's creation...
, where Chief Joseph
Chief Joseph
Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, popularly known as Chief Joseph, or Young Joseph was the leader of the Wal-lam-wat-kain band of Nez Perce during General Oliver O. Howard's attempt to forcibly remove his band and the other "non-treaty" Nez Perce to a reservation in Idaho...
of the Nez Perce had received orders to move with his people to Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, and southern Grant County. Cattle ranchers in the former Nez Perce lands had begun to drive herds along those trails to Central Pacific
Central Pacific Railroad
The Central Pacific Railroad is the former name of the railroad network built between California and Utah, USA that formed part of the "First Transcontinental Railroad" in North America. It is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad. Many 19th century national proposals to build a transcontinental...
railheads in northern Nevada for shipment. In the high desert
High Desert (Oregon)
The Oregon High Desert is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon, located east of the Cascade Range and south of the Blue Mountains, in the central and eastern parts of the state. Divided into a southern region and a northern region, the desert covers most of five Oregon counties and averages above...
country of Eastern Oregon, the streams and pastures along those trails became more valuable for sustaining the cattle on the drives.
Bannock War
The outbreak of the Bannock WarBannock War
The Bannock War was a series of conflicts in 1878 between various Bannock, Northern Shoshone and Paiute tribes against the United States.- Background :...
in May 1878 led the Paiutes to abandon the Malheur Reservation and take refuge on Steens Mountain
Steens Mountain
Steens Mountain is a large fault-block mountain in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. Located in Harney County, it stretches some and rises from an elevation of about above the Alvord Desert to its peak at...
to the south of the Harney Basin. Steens Mountain is a large block-fault formation, and its eastern escarpment rises almost straight up from the Alvord Desert
Alvord Desert
The Alvord Desert is a desert located in Harney County, in southeastern Oregon in the western United States. It is roughly southeast of Steens Mountain. The Alvord Desert is a dry lake bed and averages of rain a year. Two mountain ranges separate it from the Pacific Ocean—the Coast Range, and...
, making it relatively easy to defend. They were joined there by the Bannock
Bannock (tribe)
The Bannock tribe of the Northern Paiute are an indigenous people of the Great Basin. Their traditional lands include southeastern Oregon, southeastern Idaho, western Wyoming, and southwestern Montana...
s coming west from Idaho. When U. S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
units under the command of General Oliver O. Howard
Oliver O. Howard
Oliver Otis Howard was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War...
began moving towards their positions, the united Paiutes and Bannocks decided to flee into the Blue Mountains
Blue Mountains (Oregon)
The Blue Mountains are a mountain range in the western United States, located largely in northeastern Oregon and stretching into southeastern Washington...
to the north of the Harney Basin. They raided isolated ranches as they fled northward, killing some settlers, and taking horses and cattle. In engagements with the Army, both Paiutes and soldiers were killed.
Near the Umatilla Agency on the Columbia River, the Umatillas saw that the Paiutes and Bannocks were not going to prevail against the U. S. Army. The Umatilla
Umatilla (tribe)
The Umatilla are a Sahaptin-speaking Native American group living on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, who traditionally inhabited the Columbia Plateau region of the northwestern United States....
s allied themselves with the Army, and under the guise of negotiation, entered an encampment of Paiutes and Bannocks, where they killed one of the principal Paiute war leaders, Egan
Egan (Paiute)
Egan is the American name given to Pony Blanket. Pony Blanket was a Paiute leader in the Oregon Country in the 19th century.-Early life:Pony Blanket, known to American settlers as Egan, was born to a Cayuse family and did not know his birth mother. He married Evening Star, the sister of Chochoco...
, and a number of his followers. After that point, having lost their leader, scattered bands of Paiutes took refuge in the mountains, and the Bannocks tried to return to Idaho. Ultimately, most Paiutes surrendered, and were interned at the Malheur Reservation.
Removal and Discontinuation
In November 1878, General Howard received orders to move about 543 Paiute and Bannock prisoners from the Malheur Reservation to the Yakima ReservationYakama Indian Reservation
The Yakama Indian Reservation is a United States Indian reservation located on the east side of the Cascade Mountains in southern Washington. It is the homeland of the Yakama tribe of Native Americans....
, in Washington, 350 miles (563.3 km) to the north. Other Paiutes and Bannocks were scattered about Eastern Oregon, northeastern California and northern Nevada, working for settlers or engaged in subsistence hunting and gathering. More than a year after the war, most had not moved back onto the reservation as the U. S. government had urged. Still others were interned at Vancouver Barracks in Washington. Ranchers and settlers had started to graze their herds on the best meadowlands of the reservation, and the U. S. Army had been reluctant to remove the trespassers. In his annual report in August 1879, Agent W. V. Rinehart, who had fought in the West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
under General Crook
George Crook
George R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
and held negative views of the native people, opined that the reservation should be discontinued, in part because the support for all agencies in Oregon was spread too thin to be effective. In October of that year, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs discontinued the agency.
Burns Paiute Indian Reservation
Today a small group of Paiutes lives on a small allotment of 760 acres (3.1 km²) called the Burns Paiute Indian Reservation (or the Burns Paiute Colony) along the Silvies River, just north of Burns, OregonBurns, Oregon
Burns is a city in and the county seat of Harney County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 2,806.-History:Burns was established in the early 1880s and incorporated upon Harney county's creation in 1889...
.
See also
- Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation
- Harney BasinHarney BasinThe Harney Basin is a structural basin in southeastern Oregon in the United States at the northwestern corner of the Great Basin. One of the least populated areas of the contiguous United States, it is located largely in northern Harney County, bounded on the north and east by the Columbia Plateau,...
- List of Indian reservations in Oregon
External links
- Malheur Indian Reservation (includes map) from Oregon Historical SocietyOregon Historical SocietyThe Oregon Historical Society is an organization that encourages and promotes the study and understanding of the history of the Oregon Country, within the broader context of U.S. history. Incorporated in 1898, the Society collects, preserves, and makes available materials of historical character...
- Paiutes