Category Archives: Indian lore

Information about local Indian life, culture and history

Portland landscape 200 years ago.

When I’m climbing in the hills above the Columbia River I often stop to gaze down into the valley and try to imagine what it looked like before contact with the European cultures. Most people’s preconception of what the lower … Continue reading

Posted in Indian lore, Lower Columbia Trails, Misc Trails & Trips, Plant lore, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

“Sauvie” Island? Why not “Logie’s Island” or even “Wapato Island”?

Nowadays the island at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers, is referred to as “Sauvie Island”, or sometimes “Sauvie’s Island” by the older residents. It’s a favorite spot for Portlanders to cycle, to hunt water fowl, or even … Continue reading

Posted in Indian lore, Lower Columbia Trails, Pioneer Lore, Plant lore, Uncategorized | 13 Comments

You may never appreciate a clear-cut, but…

You may never appreciate a clear-cut, but there is more to this practice than merely wanton violence perpetrated upon nature. For many people the sight of denuded hillsides is both depressing and incomprehensible. I won’t disagree, though I take a … Continue reading

Posted in Indian lore, Logging history, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Wishing for a mattress sandwich on a hot August day…

In pre-contact days our nature was stable, clean and nurturing… Finally, it’s getting decently hot in Oregon! This is the time of the year when our landscape begins to burn up around us. So far this year we’ve been blessed … Continue reading

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Spring is here; the Trilliums have arrived!

This iconic flower is frequently all that heralds our Pacific Northwest spring, since the common characteristics of this vernal season, like warming weather and diminishing rain are so often missing in our chilly jungle. March 8th dawned clear and sunny … Continue reading

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