Conflict at Pistol River

During the early 1850s, hundreds of miners and settlers poured into southwest Oregon and onto Indian lands, staking claims and establishing farms. Clashing cultural attitudes toward the ownership and use of natural resources led to the Rogue River Indian Wars of 1853-56. War reached the coast in March 1856, when the Tu-tu-tuni attacked Ellensburg at the mouth of the Rogue River, present-day Gold Beach. A party of 34 armed civilians led by vigilante George H. Abbott raced north along the coast from Crescent City, California, ahead of regular army troops sent to assist survivors gathered just north of Ellensburg at Fort Miner. Near this site, local Chet-less-chun-dunn villagers resisted with arms, holding the party at bay behind driftwood for several days until army troops arrived. The conflict led to the tracking and killing of the Indians who had taken part in the battle. A few Chet-less-chun-dunne still live in communities along the Oregon and northern California coast.

Oregon · United States