Indian Tales

 

                                                     INDIAN TALES

 

These are stories told second hand to me while working for the Forest Service on the Orleans District in the 1970’s.   There are two tribes of Indians along the Klamath River, the Karok or upriver Indians and the Yurok or downriver Indians.  The only reservation at that time was the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation which did not look favorably on the Yurok people.   I can remember signs posted just south of Wietchpec on the north entrance into the Hoopa Reservation that said, “Yurok dog stay out.”

The Yurok tribe mostly occupied lands in the Lower Klamath River from where the Trinity River meets the Klamath River, at the small community of Weitchpec on Highway 96.  There was a store there when I lived in Orleans, not sure what’s there today.    Alcohol and drugs were the biggest enemy of the Indians.   Most of these people were hard working as many worked in the woods on logging crews.   After work when the beer and wine started flowing you did not want to be near some of them.  The more they drank the more they wanted to fight.   There is highway 169 that goes down the Klamath River after crossing the bridge at Weitchpec.  This highway ended at a place called Johnsons.  At that time there was not much there, except a few dirt roads leading off to God knows where, some small house or camp trailers scattered in the woods, some vehicles not in operating condition and a fair share of debris piled here and there.  

The Forest Service operated a fire guard station at Bluff Creek during the summers that was about five miles up the Klamath River from Weitchpec on Highway 96.   Most of the funding for this fire crew came from the state of California to protect private lands along the Lower Klamath River since the state did not have their own fire crews in the vicinity.    The foreman of the fire crew at Bluff Creek was named Don and he enjoyed spending much of his off time fishing the Lower Klamath River.   On one occasion while he was fishing a stranger approached him, introduced himself as Mr. Smith (don’t remember the name Don told me, so will go with Mr. Smith) and asked what he was doing here and if Don knew any of the people living along the river.   Don said no, and Mr. Smith said the further down this road you go the meaner the people get.   Don asked Mr. Smith where he lived and he replied at the end of the road.   Don called it a day and left immediately as Mr. Smith said don’t come back.   

Most of the fires set along the Lower Klamath River were started by the Indians in the fall to regenerate the bear grass that was used in making their baskets.   They had been doing this way before the arrival of the white settlers.    These fires were report to the Forest Service by people traveling along the highways and Don and his crew would respond with their fire truck.     Rumors were that the Indians would report some of the fires just to have the Forest Service extinguish them after the fires had accomplished what they intended for them to do.   One night Don and his crew were dispatched to a fire across the Martin’s Ferry Bridge leading to the Bald Hills Road off from Highway 169.   While the crew did a hose lay to the fire uphill from the fire truck, Don remained with the truck to operate the pumper engine.    Don was in the cab of the truck to listen to the two-way radio when he noticed head lights coming across the bridge.    The vehicle stopped in front of the fire truck and out came a few of the local natives that were a little intoxicated according to Don.   After asking what Don was doing there they threaten to throw him off the bridge.   Don had a hand gun in his fire pack knowing someday he might need it from some of his past experiences.   He tried to get them to change the subject, but they insisted they were intent on throwing him off the bridge.   Don put his hand on the gun just as the crew was returning to the truck causing the locals to leave as they were outnumbered.   

Another story is about two Forest Service people trying to find their way to some isolated parcels of the National Forest located outside the main boundary of the Six Rivers National Forest.   They ended up on a dirt road that came to a dead end at a rundown house with a few broken down vehicles around it and some dead chickens that had been shot in the front of the place.    They said it looked like a scene from the movie Deliverance.  They started turning their truck around as a man came out the front door with a rifle, who looked like he was having a bad day.  They did not look back as they hastily departed. 

Today the Yurok Indians have their own reservation along the Lower Klamath River and have been noted for their restoration of the fishery resources and other improvements to their culture.   Hopefully it is a little more civilized.