Pistol River in Curry County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)

Conflict at Pistol River

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, September 1, 2012

1. Conflict at Pistol River Marker

Inscription. During the early 1850s hundreds of miners and settlers poured into southwest Oregon and onto Indian lands staking claims and establishing farms. The clash of cultural attitudes toward the ownership and use of natural resources led to the Rogue River Indian Wars of 1853-56. War came to the coast in March of 1856, when the Tu-tu-tuni attacked Ellensburg, a settlement at the mouth of the Rogue River (present-day Gold Beach). A party of 34 armed civilians, led by vigilante George H. Abbott, raced northward along the coast from Crescent City, California in advance of regular army troops dispatched to assist survivors who had assembled just north of Ellensburg at Fort Miner. Local Chet-less-chun-dunn villagers responded with armed resistance near this site holding the party at bay behind driftwood for several days until army troops arrived. This conflict led to the tracking and killing of those Indians who participated in the battle. A few Chet-less-chun-dunne still reside in communities along the Oregon and northern California coast.

Erected by Oregon Travel Experience.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers

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• Wars, US Indian. In addition, it is included in the Oregon Beaver Boards series list. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1856.

Location. Marker has been reported missing. It was located near 42° 16.735′ N, 124° 24.283′ W. Marker was in Pistol River, Oregon, in Curry County. It was on Oregon Coast Hwy (U.S. 101), on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Gold Beach OR 97444, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker was in Southern Oregon

and specifically on the Oregon Coast.

It was also on the American Pacific Coast,

in the Pacific Northwest,

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it was in North America,

in the Cascade Range,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found itself in what was once New Spain.

Other nearby markers. At least 7 other markers are within 11 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: Cape San Sebastian (approx. 3.9 miles away); Memorial (approx. 6½ miles away); Gold Beach Ranger Station (approx. 8.6 miles away); Gold Beach (approx. 9.6 miles away); Patterson Bridge (approx. 9.9 miles away); Mary D. Hume (approx. 9.9 miles away); First Fish Hatchery in Oregon (approx. 10.3 miles away).

Mouth of the Pistol River image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, September 1, 2012

2. Mouth of the Pistol River

View of the mouth of the Pistol River

Conflict at Pistol River Marker (missing) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 29, 2021

3. Conflict at Pistol River Marker (missing)

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, September 1, 2012

4. Conflict at Pistol River Marker

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, September 1, 2012

5. Conflict at Pistol River Marker

Marker looking towards Pistol River to the south

Credits. This page was last revised on July 10, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 25, 2018, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 691 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 25, 2018, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. 3. submitted on July 9, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 4, 5. submitted on January 25, 2018, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.