The Euro-American presence in southern Oregon, military and civilian, steadily increased from the 1840’s to the 1860’s. Changing conditions drew the Klamath and other area tribes into sporadic and violent conflicts with these settlers. In 1864, a treaty was negotiated not only with the Klamath but also with the Modocs and Yahooskin (a band of Northern Paiutes), in which 20 million acres of territories were ceded to the federal government and two million acres were set aside for a reservation. The Modocs historically inhabited the Tule Lake area of Northern California and Southern Oregon. The Yahooskin inhabited an area to the east of Klamath territory, which extended east into present-day Lake and Harney Counties of Oregon. The treaty merged the three tribes into The Klamath Tribes and brought them together on what had been exclusively Klamath territory. The subsequent history of the Klamath Indian Reservation has been complex and controversial.

 

The reservation boundaries were redrawn several times. The initial survey of the reservation reduced the territory to 1.1 million acres. The General Allotment (Dawes) Act of 1887 divided the reservation into parcels, some of which could be and were sold. A challenge to the original survey and another of a land trade authorized by Congress in 1900 kept the reservation boundaries undefined until a US Supreme Court ruling in 1938.

 

From 1913, tribal members began to enjoy dividends from the cutting of tribal timber in the form of semi-annual per capita payments. They also saw the growth of mill towns such as Chiloquin and Sprague River with a sizable population of non-tribal residents on the reservation. By the 1950's, The Klamath Tribes were considered one of the wealthiest tribes in the United States. Eventually, revenue from tribal timber provided tribal individual income nearly on a par with the rest of the population in Oregon, provided health and social services to tribal members, and allowed The Klamath Tribes to pay all of their Bureau of Indian Affairs administrative costs.

 

The most dramatic event in the history of the Klamath Reservation came in 1954 with the passage of Public Law 587, which terminated the status of the reservation and ended The Klamath Tribes federal recognition. While the policy of termination was intended to assimilate Native peoples into mainstream American culture and allow them to escape stifling federal government paternalism, the outcome proved to be extremely destructive. While many argue whether or not the price paid for the reservation land was fair, few individual Klamath Tribal members received lasting economic benefits from termination. Instead of being one of the richest tribal groups, they became one of the poorest. In addition to the almost complete loss of their land base, they experienced a severe decline in their game, fish, and water resources, as well as an erosion of their cultural identity.

 

Despite these events, a tribal political organization survived the termination process. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, the organization achieved a number of victories that strengthened the capacity of the Klamath, Modoc, and Yahooskin to endure as a people. In 1974, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Klamath Tribes' fishing and hunting rights granted by treaty survived the termination process. In 1979, another legal victory guaranteed minimum stream flows in the Klamath River to protect fish and wildlife. In 1986, Congress rescinded the 1954 termination by reestablishing The Klamath Tribes as a federally recognized tribe.

 

The name Chiloquin comes from the Klamath family name Chaloquin. Chaloquin was headman of the Klamath band known as Bosuck Siwas, or Painted Rock, whose village was located near the confluence of the Williamson and Sprague Rivers. Chaloquin was a signer of the Treaty of 1864, where his name was given as Chaloquenas.

 

In 1911, when the Southern Pacific rail line extended to Chiloquin, the town was known as Camp Chiloquin and was nothing more than a few shacks and tents scattered over a wide field. A train depot and post office were established in 1912. A sawmill was built on the Williamson River a mile from town in 1916 and another three miles from town on the Sprague River in 1919. The Chiloquin Mercantile and the Chiloquin Warehouse were the pioneer businesses in town.

 

Since Chiloquin was located in the center of the Klamath Indian Reservation, non-tribal members had to purchase Indian allotments to obtain land. The first allotments on the site were sold in 1918. In the early 1920’s, Henry Stowbridge, L. B. Robinson, and Mary C. Jackson plotted the part of the town east of the Williamson River on land that was known as the "Juda Jim Allotment." The west side was developed by R. C. and Alice Spink. Chiloquin was a boomtown known as the "Little Chicago of the West" because of its rough reputation. The populace was made up of loggers, mill workers, ranchers, and Indians. Many nationalities were represented, including the Chinese. The keeping of law and order was one of the main problems in town.

 

The town was incorporated on March 9, 1926 and its first mayor was A. C. Gienger. Chiloquin served the trade area of most of the northern part of Klamath County including Fort Klamath and the Klamath Agency as a mail and freight distribution point. Chiloquin was the shipping point for the Klamath Indian Reservation and for a great expanse of country east of town along the Sprague River. In the 1930's, there were about 2,000 residents in Chiloquin, three lumber mills, box factories, stock yards, restaurants, barber shops, grocery stores, drug stores, doctors, dentists, lawyers, pool halls, and a movie house. People seldom went to Klamath Falls since Chiloquin had most services. In the 1940's, Chiloquin had 26 daily trains, and outbound shipments averaged 90 cars of forest products, 100 cars of sheep, and 2,500 cars of cattle.

 

The Great Depression, a series of disastrous fires, termination of The Klamath Tribes, loss of the train depot, decline of the timber industry, and other factors resulted in a downturn of the town's fortunes. Today, Chiloquin is a shadow of the former boomtown but local leaders are making headway in revitalizing the community.

 

The Klamath Tribal legends and oral history place their people in the Klamath Basin from "time beyond memory." Archaeologists have found evidence that humans have inhabited the south central region of Oregon for at least 13,000 years. Before Euro-Americans entered the Klamath Basin, there were six bands of the Klamath Tribes, of which four lived in the Chiloquin area. Villages were located along the Klamath Marsh, on the banks of Agency Lake, by the Williamson River, and in seasonal camps over a much wider territory. To the north, the Klamath's ranged to the headwaters of the Deschutes River, to the east some 70 miles to the escarpment above Summer and Silver Lakes, and to the west to the peaks of the Cascades.

 

The first Euro-Americans that appeared in the Klamath Basin were mountain men and fur trappers. Finan McDonald and Thomas McKay arrived in the Klamath Basin in 1825 with a party of 32 men. Peter Skene Ogden from the Hudson's Bay Company led a party of two dozen fur trappers to the Klamath Basin in 1826. Upon reaching the Klamath Marsh in December 1826, Ogden encountered what he called the "Clamitte Indian Village" using the Chinook name for the tribe. Ogden's party traded with the Klamath's and obtained fish and dogs. Ogden named Upper Klamath Lake "Dog Lake" after his newly acquired food supply.

 

The next recorded contact between Klamath's and Euro-Americans came in the 1840's. Explorer and map surveyor John Charles Fremont and his party of 25 men, including famed mountain man Kit Carson, reached "a lake of grass" 30 miles north of Upper Klamath Lake in December 1843 where they encountered a band of Klamath's. Fremont returned to the Klamath Basin with a contingent of 60 men in 1846. This expedition ended in violence. While camped beside Upper Klamath Lake, Fremont’s company was attacked. Although the attackers were not identified, Fremont’s party retaliated against a Klamath village.

 

 

 

 

 

Tribal government starts with the General Council, which meets quarterly, and includes every enrolled member 18 years or older.

 

General Council then elects a ten member board known as Tribal Council. This elected body includes a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, and 6 Council Members, often known as Tribal Government. These members are elected every three years to protect and enhance Tribal interests, support Economic Self-Sufficiency efforts, sustain the Klamath Tribal Constitution and Bylaws, attend to day-to-day tribal government business and operations, and uphold the Klamath Tribal Treaty Rights of 1864.

 

 

Ten members make up the Tribal Council and are elected every three years. These elected positions are Tribal Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, and six Tribal Council members. The Tribal Council attends to the day-to-day business of protecting and enhancing Tribal interests.

 

Tribal government continues to build Government to Government relations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Tribal news may now be downloaded from the web site. It uses Acrobat Reader, if you do not have Acrobat Reader you may download it from the link below.

 

The Adobe Reader Documents and download will come up in a separate page. After you are finished reading each document simply close the page or tab to return to the "Home Page".

 

 

 

 

 

 

Located just 22 miles north of Klamath Falls, at the junction of U.S. 97 and the Crater Lake Highway, Kla-Mo-Ya offers over 300 slot machines and 6 Blackjack tables for its gaming customers. Other amenities include parking for over 400 cars, the Rapids Deli, the Still Waters Buffet, and a non-smoking gaming area.

 

Find directions through Map Quest: Click here for directions.

 

Kla-Mo-Ya Casino's new 27-passenger wheelchair-enabled shuttle brings guests from all around the region, from Eagle Point, Lakeview and Redmond to Northern California.

 

If you have a group of friends that needs a ride or to schedule a pick-up for six or more, call 1-888-552-6692 ext. 209 or ext. 265 to make special arrangements for you.

 

We also offer FREE shuttle rides to and from Klamath Falls and Kla-Mo-Ya Casino.

 

It’s FREE and easy to join. Stop at the Bonus Club, show your Driver’s License and receive your card in minutes. Or, no need to interrupt your play and ask a casino employee to get the card for you. Your Bonus Club card is necessary to participate in all Kla-Mo-Ya Casino promotions.

 

Just accumulate points on your Bonus Club card to obtain entry forms for drawings, discounts at the Rapids Deli and Still Waters Buffet and other prizes. Watch your points add up! You earn valuable Bonus Club points every time you play with your club card. Here’s how:

 

Get 2500 points [$5.00] for your birthday on your Bonus Club card.

 

You must be 21 or older to join the Bonus Club. Kla-Mo-Ya Casino reserves the right to revise or cancel the club or its terms and conditions any time without prior notice. Kla-Mo-Ya Casino is not responsible for lost or stolen cards. Kla-Mo-Ya Casino does not assume responsibility for improperly inserted cards. Accounts are non-transferable.

 

Please visit the Kla-Mo-Ya Casino Web Site: klamoyacasino.com

 

 

Please visit the Klamath Tribes Web Site: KlamathTribes.org

 

 

 

Copyright © 2010 CPL Enterprises. All rights reserved.