Heritage Edition – The Haunting of Oregon’s Past

The ghost of Oregon’s past hides in the corners of our history, silent but ever-present. It haunts the streets and reminds us of the legacy left by settlers and how to grow past their legacy of mistakes. 

As their legs grew heavy and their hearts broke, the parentless children of the Oregon Trail finally arrived at what would soon one day become their new home; the Orphan Asylum. In 1846, Tabitha Moffat Brown came to settle in the West Tualatin Plains of Oregon. Shortly after, Tabitha Brown, Reverend Harvey Clarke, and his wife Emeline opened the Orphan Asylum for the care and education of children whose parents died along the Oregon Trail. Brown quickly became a new mother to the students and the main force behind the school. 

The asylum remained for many years, though eventually, Reverend George H. Atkinson came to the asylum with the task of creating “an academy that shall grow into a college… on the New England model,” by the Home Missionary Society of the Congregational Church Association. This would be the birth of the Tualatin Academy, and many other buildings of historical significance, such as the Old College Hall. In the year 1854, Tualatin Academy gained what is today a very familiar name: Pacific University. Though Pacific University is a popular aspect of our local town, its interesting past is often overlooked including the Orphan Asylum and Oregon’s very own Indian Training School housed on the Pacific Campus (Pacific University History). 

In history class, when we hear of the awful and tragic stories of Indian Boarding Schools, as Oregonians we typically have a moment of relief that Oregon was never a participant in these horrific practices. Unfortunately, hidden in Forest Grove is the tragic past and truth of the Forest Grove Indian Training School (“A Collision of Cultures”). The streets 22nd, 23rd, C, and D bounded the block that was home to the Training School. The Forest Grove Indian Training School was operated for 5 years between 1880 and 1885, and with it came support from Pacific University, despite the school not being officially affiliated with the university. There was also support coming from the federal government, political leaders, and more teachers and administrators from Pacific University. 

It was here that young Native Americans were brought in order to become “civilized” by the definition of our younger country. The children were forced to clear the land the school was built upon, and would often be seen making shoes, furniture, and uniforms under the supervision of white men and women. The children not only left behind their families, but were forced to lose themselves to the cultural appropriation. In an article from the University Magazine, there are various photos of children at the start who show their culture and personalities, but even just 7 months later have lost that amongst the awful treatment they endured. During its five years of operation, 12 children lost their lives while attending the school. In an article written for the Pacific University Magazine, they recalled a quote from the Harper Magazine, “They came to the school from the prairies and mountains, dressed in blankets and moccasins, with uncut and unkempt hair, as wild as young coyotes. They have already learned to sing like nightingales and work like beavers,” which shows how easy it was for white settlers to strip the humanity away from the Native American children under the premise of “civilizing them.” The Forest Grove Indian Training School was moved to Salem, Oregon, and is still in operation today under the name Chemawa Indian School and is now under the Federal Bureau of Indian Education. The Chemawa Indian School now operates as a way to help students of Native American heritage, who have been put at a disadvantage and are now given better opportunities for college and higher degrees (Chemawa Boarding School About Information).  

As settlers followed the Oregon Trail and began their lives in the Oregon Territory, they had a goal in mind for Oregon: for it to be a white utopia (“A Hidden History”). Oregon was not on the side of the Confederacy, however, they had limitations and reservations before joining the Union. The most notable and impactful was the law against all African Americans living in the state of Oregon. There became a shorthand historical phrase known as the Sun Down laws, which meant as the sun set African Americans were no longer allowed in the state of Oregon. If there were African Americans found living in Oregon, the punishment was “Lash Law,” which consisted of public whipping every six months until the African American left the state. The exclusionary law would not be repealed until 1926, and the language would not be removed from the state constitution until 2001. 

On the fateful day of September 18th of 1902, Alonso Tucker was tried for the rape of a white woman in the city of Coos Bay, Oregon. His release from jail led to his death. He was hunted by 200 white men, shot twice, and hung over the side of a bridge. This was the only officially confirmed lynching of an African American individual in Oregon. However, there is significant doubt this was the only lynching in Oregon given that Oregon had one of the largest KKK charters in the country. Around 15% of all eligible citizens were members of the group, including city officials, such as police chiefs and mayors. 

In the streets of downtown Portland, you wouldn’t see the historical discrimination, but what lies within the districts of the city is a history of Asian American exclusion and segregation. The U.S as a whole in 1882 emplaced the Chinese Exclusion Act, which limited and prohibited the entrance of Asian Americans into the country. However, similar to the laws laid down in the Oregon Constitution against African Americans, “in 1859 the Oregon Constitution stated that any non-resident from China was forbidden ownership of mining claims and real estate,” (Oregon State University). Within a few decades, the U.S would exclude all Chinese immigrants from entering the United States. It was a difficult process for Chinese immigrants to enter Oregon, which often proved to be lacking in opportunities and benefits the United States was proclaimed to have. Landlords and employers regularly took advantage of Chinese Americans and often stole, assaulted, and murdered Chinese Americans. One of the biggest examples of the discrimination Chinese Americans faced in Oregon was the Snake River Massacre; a white gang robbed and murdered 34 Chinese miners. Most fled and were never caught, and the few who were caught were shortly acquitted.  

Oregon’s history of discrimination and exclusion may seem similar to that of other states, but the fact that Oregon is our home makes it important to remember and recognize that Oregon is not all rainbows after the rain. The discrimination against the groups aforementioned wasn’t unique to them; the lingering impacts of the Bracero program and its impact on Mexican Americans are still witnessed today, and the Japanese Internment Camps have left a dark impression on the treatment of Japanese Americans. There is a haunting and dark past in this state that is unknown to the general public; it’s important to learn about our history to understand and appreciate how its legacy has changed our present day and how we can improve our future.