“on the subject of removing the Indians from Rogue River to coast reservation and the purchase of grand ronde”

“on the subject of treating with the Indians”

Joel Palmer was born on October 4, 1810, in Ontario, Canada. After serving as a representative in the Indiana legislature, he traveled overland to Oregon in 1845 and married Sarah Ann Derbyshire, who had arrived that same year. Palmer became commissary-general of volunteer forces during the Cayuse Indian War. In 1853, he was appointed superintendent of Indian affairs for the Oregon Territory, a post he held until his removal in 1857 when opponents characterized his reservation policies as being too tolerant toward the Indians. He later served in the Oregon state legislature and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1870. He made his home in Lafayette and Dayton, Oregon, and died June 9, 1881.

Tape 1, Side 1. This oral history interview with Omar C. Palmer was conducted by Terence O'Donnell on December 6, 1982. The interview was conducted as research for O'Donnell's book "An Arrow in the Earth: General Joel Palmer and the Indians of Oregon." In this interview, Palmer discusses his ancestor Joel Palmer, who served as superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Oregon Territory from 1853 to 1856. He reads from family documents, letters, and newspaper articles regarding Joel Palmer's life and career and talks about treaties with Native Americans that Joel Palmer helped to negotiate. He discusses the Native American reservation system, and Joel Palmer's role in its formation. He talks about Palmer family history, particularly the overland journey of Joel Palmer to Oregon on the Barlow Road in 1847. He also briefly discusses his own early life in eastern Washington and southern Idaho.

Tape 1, Side 2. This oral history interview with Omar C. Palmer was conducted by Terence O'Donnell on December 6, 1982. The interview was conducted as research for O'Donnell's book "An Arrow in the Earth: General Joel Palmer and the Indians of Oregon." In this interview, Palmer discusses his ancestor Joel Palmer, who served as superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Oregon Territory from 1853 to 1856. He reads from family documents, letters, and newspaper articles regarding Joel Palmer's life and career and talks about treaties with Native Americans that Joel Palmer helped to negotiate. He discusses the Native American reservation system, and Joel Palmer's role in its formation. He talks about Palmer family history, particularly the overland journey of Joel Palmer to Oregon on the Barlow Road in 1847. He also briefly discusses his own early life in eastern Washington and southern Idaho.