Land area
Land of the Chasta, Grave Creek and others in Oregon, ceded 1854 (area 343)
- 1854
Ceded to the United States
In the record
Ceded by the Chasta, Scoton and Grave Creek bands in 1854, land on the Rogue River in Oregon. The area covers about 543 thousand acres in what is now Oregon.
The 1899 record names Chasta and Scoton as the people of this land.
How it was taken: a treaty made under documented pressure. The Siletz tribes' history says their ancestors were 'forced to sign' seven western Oregon treaties and were later removed after open warfare.
Today, Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon carries the history of the people named here.
Written from the records linked here; open any of them for its sources.
Shapes come from C. C. Royce’s 1899 maps as georeferenced by the US Forest Service. They are approximate and are not legal descriptions of land. Royce recorded land the United States treated as ceded; the shape does not show a nation’s territory.
Who is doing the work
This history belongs to living nations. Start with them:
- Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians
- Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians
Working with these nations
- Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Nation government Rocky Shores parcel near Yachats (about 7 acres, purchase pending as of Oct 2026)
- McKenzie River Trust Allied land trust Brokered and fundraised for Rocky Shores parcel near Yachats (about 7 acres, pending as of Oct 2026)
Land return and Native-led work nearby
- Indigenous Land Relationship Fund (Oregon Land Justice Project / Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts), allied host Native-led Funds Indigenous-led projects to reclaim and reconnect to land and First Foods in Oregon Give on their site Website
- Na'ah Illahee Fund Native-led Indigenous-led regranting for Land Back (building on E'lip Tilikum Land Conservancy), land and water protection,… Give on their site Website
- Potlatch Fund Native-led Native philanthropy and grantmaking to Native individuals and Native-led organizations Give on their site Website
- Western Rivers Conservancy Allied land trust Buys river land and transfers to tribes (Blue Creek 47,097 acres to Yurok; Adler Ranch 1,199 acres to Esselen) Give on their site Website
Native legal and land defense, nationally
- Native American Rights Fund (NARF) Native-led Litigation and legal advocacy for tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, land and resources Give on their site Website
- NDN Collective (LANDBACK Campaign) Native-led LANDBACK campaign (launched 2020; Mount Rushmore closure and return of Black Hills public lands), Indigenous… Give on their site Website
- Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF) Native-led Land recovery and control by tribes and individual Indian landowners Website
- Decolonizing Wealth Project (Indigenous Earth Fund; California Tribal Land Return) Native-led Reparative philanthropy Give on their site Website
Gifts go straight to each organization; this atlas takes nothing. Listing is not endorsement: how organizations are listed.
Connections
Links marked “suggested” were matched automatically by name or date and have not yet been reviewed by a person.
Nations named for this land 5
- Chastaas named in the 1899 recordsuggested
- Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indiansmatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
- Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregonmatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
- Scotonas named in the 1899 recordsuggested
- Umpquamatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
Agreements recorded for this land 1
Located in 1
Sources
- Royce, Indian Land Cessions (1899), Schedule entry dated 1854-11-18primary record
- Kappler, Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, text for 1854-11-18primary record
- Royce’s map sheet: Oregon 1 (Library of Congress)primary record
- USDA Forest Service, Tribal Lands Ceded to the United States (digitized Royce maps)reference work
The record’s fields
- Area number in the 1899 record
- 343
- Dates in the 1899 record
- 1854-11-18
- Kind of instrument
- Treaty or agreement
- Peoples as named in the 1899 record
- Chasta; Grave Creek; Scoton
- States
- OR
- Counties
- Curry; Douglas; Jackson; Josephine
- Map sheets in the 1899 record
- Oregon 1
- Geometry
- Approximate shape from Royce’s 1899 maps
Research notes
geometry_role is 'cession' for every USFS feature: no field in the source distinguishes cessions from reservations.
- Kind
- Land area
- Confidence
- Medium