1500 – 1839

  … Rocky Point, Upper Klamath Lake, Fort Klamath, Crater Lake, Klamath Development Company
•  … Transportation, Logging. Railroads, Power, Communications, Mining
•  … Reclamation, Farming, Merrill, Malin, Tulelake
  … Klamath Falls, Jacksonville, Medford, Ashland
  … Indians, Klamath & Yainax Agency, Chiloquin, Spring Creek, Sprague

    1540
    A Klamath wocus grinder is made and eventually found in
    Pecos, New Mexico, illustrating the expanses of prehistoric
    Indian trade routes.
    1542
    • Juan Rodrigues Cabrillo sails to latitude 44° and lands near
    present day Port Orford.
    1549
    • Sir Francis Drake claims present day Northern California and
    Southern Oregon, “New Albion”, for England.

    1603
    • Sebastian Viscaino makes first known investigation of Umpqua River.
    • Savery, in England, invents the first crude steam engine.

    1700
    • January 26, about 9 p.m., last great earthquake in the Cascades,
    perhaps a magnitude of 8.0 or greater, creates a 30 foot
    high tsunami that smashes into the Oregon coast.
    1707
    • A Spanish trade vessel, “San Francisco Xavier,” is
    wrecked on present day Oregon north coast.
    1769
    • Father Junípero Serra arrived at the spot that would
    become San Diego and built the first mission in Alta California.
    1772
    • First recorded sighting of the Bay Delta by Spanish explorers.
    1775
    • Bruno de Heceta and Juan Francisco Bodega y Quandra reach 58° 30′.
    1777
    • Captain James Cook sails up the Pacific Northwest coast to 70° 44′
    1778
    • Captain Robert Gray gives the name of “Murderer’s Harbor” to present day Tillamook Bay.
    1782
    • 25,000 to 75,000 nesting Bald Eagles in lower 48 states.
    1786
    • Mt. Shasta erupts.
    1792
    • Robert Gray, aboard the Columbia Rediviva claims the Columbia waterway for the United States on his second trip to the area.
    1793-73:
    • The Nootka Convention settles differences between England
    and Spain concerning the Pacific north coast. Mexico bows out.
    1790 – 1840:
    Major changes occurring to Indians due to the effect of European trade goods (e.g., iron, gunpowder) and diseases.

    1800
    • Population of the United States is 5,308,483.
    1800-38:
    • Upper Klamath Basin precipitation was above average.
    1803
    • United States purchases the Louisiana territory from Napoleon.
    1805
    • Oregon explorations by Lewis & Clark.
    1806
    • Baron Nikolai Rezanov, an organizer for the Russian American Company, a fur trading enterprise, urges Russia to establish a colony at the mouth of the Columbia River.
    1807
    • David Thompson crosses the Rocky Mountains and establishes a trading post at the Columbia River headwaters.
    1809
    • Tree rings studies indicate Upper Klamath Basin was unusually wet.

    1810
    • Population of the United States is 7,239,881.
    1811
    • Astoria, Oregon is settled.
    • Explorer David Thompson was on the John Day River.
    1812
    • War of 1812 breaks out. Fort Astoria is sold to the British Northwest Company and is renamed Fort George.
    Oregon Trail route first traveled by Robert Stuart.
    • Spring, Russian fur traders build permanent headquarters at the mouth of the Russian River.
    1813
    • Tree rings studies indicate was unusually wet in Upper Klamath Basin.
    1814
    • Willamette Valley Indians describe Mt. Shasta to Hudson Bay trappers.
    1817
    Erie canal construction started.
    1819
    The Spanish government authorized the construction of a canal across Central America and the creation of a company to build it.

    1820
    • Population of the United States is 9,638,453.
    • June 7, George Nurse, founder of Linkville, born in Courtland, New York.
    1823
    • Northwest Company merges with Hudson Bay Company.
    The last mission built in Alta California was San Francisco de Solano at Sonoma.
    1824
    • Russia agrees to stay in Alaska and relinquish interest further south.
    • Hudson Bay Company appoints Dr. John McLoughlin as the Chief Factor for Oregon County.
    • A pair of Mexican miners work Alamitos Creek near present day San Jose, California.
    1825
    • Finan McDonald, Tom McKay and others left Fort Vancouver for exploration of eastern Oregon.
    1826
    • January 5, Peter Skeene Ogden, working for the Hudson Bay Company, with a party of 35 trappers and more than I00 horses, reaches the headwaters of Klamath drainage.
    • Botanist David Douglas was in the Umpqua Valley.
    October 5, Ogden reaches Chiloquin area.
    • Tree rings studies indicate Upper Klamath Basin was unusually wet.
    • December 6, Odgen names Mt. Sastise (Mt. Shasta).
    1827
    January 13, Peter Skene Ogden writes in his diary that they traded for 10 dogs that day with the Modocs. He considered the Modocs to be a large well-inclined tribe. The Modocs, realizing that the whites needed dogs for food, began to barter for more goods in trade. Ogden names Upper Klamath Lake “Dog Lake.” Another diary entry notes that they trapped 735 beaver and mammal skins in three weeks near the Klamath River.
       Mt. Mcloughlin is first recorded under that name. Later is was known as Mt. Pitt and then again as Mt. McLoughlin. It was lso referred to as Snowy Butte.

    1830
    • Population of the United States is 12,866,020
.
    • Arrival of the domesticated horse in southwestern
    Oregon-northwestern California.
    1832
    • Tree rings studies indicate Upper Klamath Basin was unusually wet.
    1833
    • Ewing Young traps on the west side of Upper Klamath Lake.
    1835
    A group of French-Canadians visit the Klamath tribal area and give the Indians trade goods.
    1836
    • Ewing Young brings 630 head of cattle to the Williamette Valley from present day San Jose, California. The trip takes nine months and started with 800 cattle purchased from the Mexicans.
    1839
    • John Sutter receives land grant in present day California from the Mexican Government that was “22 hours square” on horseback.
    1839-54:
    • Tree ring studies indicate Upper Klamath Basin climate was dry with few wet years.

    upper klamath basin timelines icon

    Klamath Basin Timeline: Before 1500 … Islands, Mountains, and People

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1500 – 1839 … England, Spain, Russia

    upper klamath basin timelines icon

    Klamath Basin Timeline: Before 1500 … Islands, Mountains, and People

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1500 – 1839 … England, Spain, Russia

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1840 – 1859 … Trappers, Gold and Trails

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1860 – 1869 … Applegates and Captain Jack

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1870 – 1879 … Strongholds and Swamplands

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1880 – 1889 … Klamath County and Newspapers

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1890 – 1899 … Merrill, Flour and Potatoes.

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1900 – 1909 … Steamboats and Locomotives

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1910 – 1919 … Automobiles and Movies

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1920 – 1929 … Recreation and Refuge

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1930 – 1939 … Depression, Sporting and Tulelake

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1940 – 1949 … Internment and Homesteading

    Acknowledgements
    Bill and LoEtta Cadman, Ina and Roy Reed, Pat McMillian, William Brady,
    Andrew Ortis, John Pratt, Art Eggleston, Rob Crawford – Crawford Farms,
    Bev Wampler, Gayle and Chuck Jaynes, Richard Kopczak and
    Cindy Wright are some of the many folks that allowed access to their
    libraries and, or, shared information to help Anders compile
    the above timelines.

    © 2014 Anders Tomlinson, all rights reserved.