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"Giving Voice to the people and events shaping Klamath Falls and the
Klamath Basin"
History of Klamath Falls and Klamath County
Even before the arrival of white explorers in what is now
Klamath and Northern Modoc Counties, Native American tribes resided throughout the
region. The name Klamath is taken from the Klamath tribe and cross
the border in Northern California Modoc County is named for the
Modoc Indians. The Modocs were especially tenacious fighters and
struggled against the onslaught of white settlers and government
forces in the Modoc War (fought in what is now Lava Beds National
Park). Their story typifies the politics and struggles of native peoples
against the march of American history through the 19th and 20th
Century as explorers and settlers journeyed west. The onslaught
of explorers and settlers
brought devastating chagne to the traditional cultures and peoples
of North America.
Evidence of
Indian residency in the area goes back more than 10,000 years and
many artifacts have been uncovered and remain in the sagebrush,
forests, and
lakebed wilds of the area.
Explored by fur trappers in the early 1800s, the area of Klamath
County was later settled by homesteaders and timber fellers. Several
major wagon trails passed through the area including the Applegate
Trail, a major route to Western Oregon and Northern California.
Pioneers in search of gold and a new life passed along these
well-worn routes and struggles to gain a foothold in the region. The
development of timber companies and agriculture were the product of
a great muddle of early enterprise. This included road building, the
construction of lumber camps, irrigation canals, and eventually the
arrival of a railway line.
Once known as Linkville, Klamath Falls is still working to regain
the bustle and glory of earlier generations who built the town as a
center of timber and agriculture. At the start of the 21st century,
Downtown Klamath Falls is beginning to recover from the timber
industries steady decline and increasing pressures on the family
farm.
Despite increasing diversification Klamath remains dependent on
natural resources and agriculture for many of its jobs and its
culture. On the edge of the Eastern Oregon frontier, Klamath County
remains home to many cattle ranchers, alfalfa and potato growers.
Their pride in their wranglers, Carhart overalls, hats and boots
speaks volumes about the importance of frontier values.
A dry winter in 2001 caused chaos when government agencies
determined the endangered species act required the government to cut
off water deliveries to 1500 farm families served by canals in the
Klamath Irrigation Project. Outraged farmers and local politicians
did battle with environmentalists and government scientists. The
battles continues, but a recent (2002) National Academy of Sciences
study found there was no science to support the maintenance of
higher Upper Klamath Lake levels for the protection of the listed as
endangered sucker species. Farmers have their water this year, but
the battle goes on with tribes, fishermen, and environmentalists
fighting on legal and political fronts to keep the water in the lake
and send it down the Klamath River. These interests want to restrict
water flows away from agriculture, and when you mix in the clean
energy made from dams all the way down the river and increasing
demands from far away city dwellers for more wild spaces things are
bound to stay interesting.
The area of Klamath County remains remote with commercial flights to
nowhere but Portland, but the area is increasingly being "discovered"
by Californians, urban Oregonians, and lovers of the outdoors.
The Basin‘s mountains, lakes, lava beds, forest and desert juniper
scrub offer great diversity for sightseers outdoor enthusiasts and
athletes.
Multi-national wood products company Jeld-wen
(with 11,000 employees worldwide) maintains its
headquarters in Klamath Falls, as do Klamath First Bank, South
Valley Bank and several small technology firms. Electro Scientific
Industries located its newest manufacturing facility in Klamath
Falls in 2001. The Klamath Co-Generation plant, a major power
generating facility, was also completed in 2001.
The Tribe is increasingly active again with the funding infusions
provided
by their casino. Attempts to revive and continure traditions continue,
but many tribal members are plagued by a high incidence of
alcoholism and
poverty. Government support programs have bred dependence but failed to build independence
and an undercurrent hurt and animosity to whites among some tribe
members.
The population of the City and County are growing, and many of the
traditional struggles between developers, conservation proponents,
Tribes, timber interests, and farmers will continue adding the spice
of life in this bustling hub for the foreseeable future.
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