County in Oregon holds public hearing on name of 'Dead Indian Memorial Road'

Wednesday, October 11, 2017  

The public is being asked the potential renaming of "Dead Indian Memorial Road" in Jackson County, Oregon.

The name dates to an alleged incident of horse-stealing in 1855, The Medford Mail Tribune reported in April. But details are murky, with anywhere between 2 and 15 Indians said to have been found dead in the area where the road was eventually built.

The deaths apparently occurred at the same time of the Rogue River Wars. But historians told the paper there is no consensus on who caused the deaths -- non-Indian settlers or even rival tribes.

“The county receives frequent complaints and requests to change the name of this road,” John Vial, the county's director of the road department, said in an announcement of a public hearing on the issue on Wednesday evening.

It's not clear from news reports whether the county has reached out to area tribes about the name. The service area of the Coquille Tribe includes Jackson, and the 1855 incident is said to have involved Tutuni ancestors of the tribe.

There's also a "Dead Indian Creek", "Dead Indian Soda Springs" and "Dead Indian Mountain" in the same area as the road.

Read More on the Story:
Rename Dead Indian Memorial Road? County seeks input (The Medford Mail Tribune October 10, 2017)