Uncertain Encounters: Indians and Whites at Peace and War in Southern Oregon, 1820s-1860s [Paperback]

Nathan Douthit (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

A major contribution to the study of Indian-white relations in the Pacific Northwest, "Uncertain Encounters" provides a comprehensive view of relations in southern Oregon over a fifty-year period beginning in the fur-trade era and ending with the Rogue River War and its aftermath.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Nathan Douthit's meticulously researched study offers a complex view of Indian-white relations in the region. Rather than focus mainly on well-documented incidents of conflict and federal Indian policy as other historians have done, Douthit directs attention to peaceful interactions as well. He shows that in the years leading up to the Rogue River War, Indians and whites interacted with uncertainty, alternating between acts of friendship and hostility.

"Uncertain Encounters" begins with a critical investigation of the Hudson's Bay Company's fur-trade relations with southern Oregon Indians, emphasizing its responsibility for Indian hostility. It turns next to exploration of the region by white Americans and to early encounters between Indians and white miners and settlers. It reexamines the tragic Rogue River War, providing the first detailed picture of Indian casualties and the war's impact on the Indian population. Finally, it describes the removal of Indians to the Siletz and Grand Ronde reservations as told from the perspective of Indian oral narratives as well as white accounts. As a major aspect of the story, Douthit highlights the development of a little-known middle ground of relationships between Indian women and white men during and after removal.

About the Author

Nathan Douthit is professor emeritus of history and political science at Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay and the author of "A Guide to Oregon South Coast History: Traveling the Jedediah Smith Trail" (OSU Press).

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oregon State University Press (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870715496
• ISBN-13: 978-0870715495
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,050,727 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great little book, December 31, 2011

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This review is from: Uncertain Encounters: Indians and Whites at Peace and War in Southern Oregon, 1820s-1860s (Paperback)

This small paperback book was worth its weight in gold because I am interested in Western Oregon Indians and there are few books on them-you have to search for them and then when you order them you get very little information on them. This book was an exception because it had many first hand accounts written by people who fought the Oregon Indians and lived by them. The many accounts in this book even describe how the Indians dressed and what they said and how they fought for their land and families. Great little book!