Remembering those who came before us
While plowing in the north yard last June, Nate turned up some curious stones, one of which is pictured below.
The stone is obsidian, and most likely was a Native American tool. Since obsidian is usually found in central Oregon, not on the valley floor, it probably was traded from a tribe living in the vicinity of modern-day Bend, Oregon. What we call Living Green Farm is less than a mile from Calapooia River, a tributary of the Willamette; the river is named after the Kalapuya tribe, which was the dominant tribe of the Willamette Valley at the time of first contact with white settlers. The close proximity of both the Willamette and Calapooia rivers, the evidence of both grasslands and forest patches, and the teeming wildlife evident even today all indicate that this local area was probably prime real estate for the Kalapuyans. Who were these people, and what became of them?
Kurt on 11.22.06 @ 03:22 PM PST [more...]
