"During the noon hour [break from school] we children would go down... and talk with old Indian John who was loved and respected by all who knew him."
-A longtime Troutdale resident, recalling a memory from her childhood in the 1870s Gresham Outlook, May 15, 1936

Old John was a Native American who, from before the first white settler arrived in the Troutdale area to the time of his death in 1893, lived in a plank house on the Columbia Slough. The written history of exploration and settlement in the Oregon Territory often homogenizes Native American experiences and emphasizes the disintegration of Native cultures rather than exploring examples of cultural persistence. This presentation will introduce Old John and his family and shed light on how they adapted to their changed circumstances and demonstrate how Old John parlayed his knowledge into strategies that enabled him to remain in his illahee (his country), and be an integral part of the new society.

These events are open to everyone interested in Oregon and Pacific Northwest history. Co-sponsored by like-minded historical and civic organizations, we bring you experts, scholars, first-person experiencers and historians who expound on topics from Lewis and Clark to shipwrecks, hop growing to women pioneers and far, far beyond. It's like being back in the classroom - except this time you get to settle into comfortable seats and enjoy a drink or two with dinner while you listen and learn.

This event is eligible for a History Pub Stamp