Imagine the government giving away hundreds of acres of land to individuals to establish homes, farms, and businesses. But only for white people. The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 to 1855 forcefully displaced Indigenous people from their native lands, excluded non-white settlers and disqualified single or widowed women from gaining property. The Donation Land Claim Act set into motion the rapid transformation of Oregon Territory. Multnomah County Archivist Terry Baxter discusses the process of systematic land measurement, different ideas of land “ownership,” the Cayuse War, and the lasting effects of the Donation Land Claim Act on Oregon today.
Steven Stenkamp is a longtime Bend resident, retired firefighter and teacher, and former mayor of Bend. He is the creator of “Lost Ski Areas of Oregon” on Facebook and has downhill skied for 60 seasons. Stenkamp has been interviewed by OPB and various news outlets for his research on Oregon’s ski history.
