Oregon and the Collapse of Illahee

“[An] impressive and ambitious study. . . . Readers from many fields will be able to mine Whaley’s rich text for insights.” — Common-place

“An important contribution to Pacific Northwest historiography. . . . A compelling and thought-provoking study that raises important questions about the complexity of the colonial process in the Pacific Northwest and about the worldview and actions of the historical actors . . . who were shaped by this process.” — Oregon Historical Quarterly

“This readable volume . . . demonstrates the resilience of indigenous descendents of Ilahee while he challenges the analyses of many previous historians. Highly recommended.” — CHOICE

“Whaley’s study is a sharp and original interpretation of Oregon’s colonial legacies. The diverse perspectives and stories he relates make Oregon and the Collapse of the Illahee an important and highly readable contribution to the scholarship of the Pacific Northwest and American colonial history that will benefit students and scholars alike.” — Journal of American History

“Scholars of American empire, the U.S. West, and indigenous peoples will find this regional study a welcome addition to a growing historiography of American colonialism.” — Western Historical Quarterly

“Readers interested in the history of Oregon will find this book refreshing and challenging . . . . An important reinterpretation of the history of the American West as a colonial enterprise.” — American Historical Review

“Few states in our nation possess an indigenous history that is as violent and under-studied as Oregon’s nineteenth-century past. Oregon and the Collapse of 'Illahee' redresses such absence and oversight, powerfully exhibiting the centrality of Chinook and confederated Oregon Indian tribes to the making of the region’s settler societies. Readers may be particularly interested in the sobering chapters on the brutal wars of the 1850s and by the book’s wonderfully rendered conclusion. An important study of long-neglected subjects that should be essential reading in as well as out of the region.” — Ned Blackhawk, Yale University

“In this sound analysis of Indian-white relations in Oregon, the author clearly presents the significant regional issues and effectively integrates them into the broad national patterns.” — Roger L. Nichols, University of Arizona, author of Natives and Strangers: A History of Ethnic Americans