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

Chetco Memorial — Chit-xu Village Site

Chit-xuu-dee-ne, dan'-ti shu' gvthl-xat

— (For thousands of years the Chetco people have lived on this river) —

Chetco Memorial — Chit-xu Village Site Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 30, 2021

1. Chetco Memorial — Chit-xu Village Site Marker

Inscription. The Chetco people are the earliest known inhabitants of the Brookings-Harbor area. The Athabaskan-speaking people of Chit-xu and eight other Chetco group villages originally lived along this river and on the adjacent coast between the Winchuck River and Whaleshead. When forcibly removed to the Siletz Reservation in 1856, the residents of the nine villages became "Chetco" people based on affiliation with this main village site.

Following a tsunami in March 2011, repair work at the Port of Brookings-Harbor prompted archaeological testing nearby, which confirmed the location of Chit-xu village. This historic site at the mouth of the Chetco River is an important place to tell the story of the Chetco people, whose ancestors have lived on this river for thousands of years.

Erected 2019 by Chetco Indian Memorial Project.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1856.

Location. 42° 2.975′ N, 124° 16.064′ W. Marker is in Harbor, Oregon, in Curry County. It can be reached from Harbor Drive west

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of Lower Harbor Road, on the right when traveling west. Marker is in the Port of Brookings-Harbor. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 16282 Lower Harbor Road, Brookings OR 97415, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southern Oregon

and specifically on the Oregon Coast.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast,

in the Pacific Northwest,

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is 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 finds itself in what was once New Spain.

Other nearby markers. At least 4 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: History of the Chetco People (here, next to this marker); March 11, 2011 Tsunami (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Japanese Attack on Oregon (approx. half a mile away); Memorial (approx. 11 miles away).

Also see . . .
1. Chetco Indian Memorial Project. Website of non-profit organization started by Chetco descendants to create

Entrance to Chetco Indian Memorial image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 30, 2021

2. Entrance to Chetco Indian Memorial

a lasting memorial to their ancestors. (Submitted on July 10, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Chetco people. Wikipedia entry about the Chetco language, history and culture. (Submitted on July 10, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Rebecca Curry Rabinowitz, March 13, 2023

3. Chetco Memorial — Chit-xu Village Site Marker

Lucy Dick

Credits. This page was last revised on March 15, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 10, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 814 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 10, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3. submitted on March 15, 2023, by Rebecca Curry Rabinowitz of Venice, Florida.