Territorial History, Reservations, Treaties & Mining
Exploring the West Prior to State/Provincehood: Tribal Homelands
The Spanish first land-based venture outside of Nootka Bay was to dig a few mines on Vancouver Island. After sea otter and beaver furs, mining was the driving force of explorers who wished to “harvest the riches and return to home.” Explorers, trappers and miners walked everywhere, and they carried rifles looking for valuable metals. It was only later that the rich farmland in the Willamette Valley and Puget Sound attracted farmers and their fences (bringing with them the concept of property rights and land ownership). Forest Groves and Forest Glades, tended informally for 1,000s of years, began disappearing. For the 40,000 Indigenous Peoples left alive, it meant War; Pioneer Blockhouses were needed. Judge any written history of this time as to their mentioning (or not) the use of islands (Fox Island) to isolate, starve, and manage was a long-proven way of dealing with Native Americans. Reservations and treaties are what are studied, they tell only the results of the conflict and are written by the victors. Like the Rocky Mountain regions, Canadian provinces’ history lagged that of California and the Oregon Territory. By the Civil War, starting in the mid 1830’s, 400,000 immigrants had used the Oregon Trail to begin the Pioneer (farmers) Flood of the West. Unlike the explorers, trappers and miners, they were coming to stay and not go home with exploited riches.
time-immemorial-tribal-sovereignty
Can you tell the difference among the fish listed below? Pictured is the:
Reproducible Student Worksheet
Color or paint this Native Animal
Territorial History, Reservations & Mining
State of Alaska History