As I began my genealogical research, it quickly became apparent that I needed learn about the local history of Randolph. Since I moved away from Coos County over forty years ago, it is fortunate that the digital age arrived in the intervening years: it yields a treasure-trove of online resources to help me learn from afar.
The history of Randolph began long before my ancestors moved to the area.
A long, rich history
Before Europeans and Euro-Americans came to Coos County, the land had already been home to an Indian Nation for at least 3,000 years. Intercultural contact began in a mostly cooperative way but became increasingly hostile—and fatal—after the discovery of gold in the 1850s. My attempts to draft blog posts summarizing this history continually gloss over so much of what happened. I therefore respectfully direct you to the resources described below; they hold a wealth of information about the tribes and villages that originally existed in the region.
Coquelle Trails, 1826-1875 & Cultural Geography Project
The first resource resulted from a seven-year collaboration (2006-2013) between the Coquille Indian Tribe, Inc., and the Oregon Websites and Watersheds Project, Inc. (ORWW). The goal was to “investigate and publish a ‘cultural geography’ of the modern Coquille Tribe.” The project team published a two-volume report, making it available at the ORWW Coquelle Trails website: http://orww.org/Coquelle_Trails/Press_Release_20130107.html. The website includes maps and illustrations as well as an extensive and well-organized bibliography.
Tribal narratives
Don Whereat (1924-2013) created the second resource. Over the course of twelve years (1989 to 1996), Mr. Whereat, the first Tribal Historian for the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, pieced together his ancestors’ history and published over sixty articles in the tribal newsletter. In 2010, he compiled the newsletter articles into a book, generating an extensive review of ethnographic, linguistic, archaeological, and historical records of the Confederated Tribes. His daughter, Patty Whereat Phillips, kindly supplies access to her father’s work on “Shichils’Blog”: Our Culture and History.
A living people
Although this post discusses its history, it’s important to recognize that the Coquille Tribe survived its attempted termination. The U.S. Department of the Interior—Indian Affairs restored the tribe’s federal recognition in 1989, and tribal members continue to live in Coos County, actively engaging in land stewardship, research and education, and support of the community at large.
Image Source
Coquille Indian Tribe Image from page 265 of “Coos County natural gas pipeline: final environmental impact statement” (2002). United States. Bureau of Land Management. Coos Bay District; Coos County (Or.). Board of Commissioners; United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. Portland District. Public Domain.