Volunteers Needed for War Against Snake Indians
Recruiting efforts underway in Olympia for the Oregon Cavalry to secure frontier routes and retaliate against ongoing raids.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
One hundred volunteers are wanted for the First Regiment of Oregon Cavalry, to serve three years unless sooner discharged. A bounty of one hundred dollars is offered. The Governor of Oregon, in his proclamation calling for these volunteers, says that they will be needed the coming spring on the frontiers of this state and Washington Territory, and for an expedition against the Snake Indians who have so long been mercilessly engaged in robbing immigrants and murdering our fellow citizens. Recruiting officer: Francis Henry, Office in Olympia with Wells, Fargo & Co.
“The Snake Indians who have so long been mercilessly engaged in robbing immigrants and murdering our fellow citizens.”
This 1863 call for volunteers highlights the violent expansionism of the era, framing the brutal displacement of Indigenous people as a protective measure for settlers. The Snake War, which followed these recruitment efforts, was a devastating period of conflict that radically altered the demographic and political landscape of the Pacific Northwest.
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