Indian Encampment, Dalles of the Columbia - 1860
The patchwork coverings on the tepees shown in this May 1860 photo make you wonder how much more shelter their inhabitants had in the middle of winter. This view is part of a series taken by the British Corps of Royal Engineers, who had as their primary mission the mapping of the boundary between U.S. and British territories.
Beginning at Fort Vancouver, they visited several U.S. forts on their way east and north, including Fort Dalles, originally established in 1850 as Camp Drum. It's unclear whether these tepees belonged to year-round residents or to people who had traveled to the Dalles to fish and trade. While the main Native American villages had been pushed back from the river by the fort and settlers who gathered around it, some traditional peoples continued to live nearby and fish the Columbia at this time.
-- This photo is restored and printed by Old Oregon.
Photographer | Corps of Royal Engineers |
---|---|
Location | The Dalles, Wasco County |
Subject | Native Americans |
Decade | 1860s |
Print Maker | Old Oregon |
Original Type | Copy Negative |
Size of Original | 5.1 x 7.3 inches |
Photographer's Number | Leaf Nmber 16 |