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French Settlement is the original name for the area now known as Melrose, Oregon. It also includes the nearby Flournoy, Garden, and Coles valleys. This area is located in Douglas County, Oregon, in the southern part of the state.

You can find French Settlement along the west side of the South Umpqua River. It's a few miles west of Roseburg, Oregon and west of Interstate 5 in Oregon. This fertile area is about 8 miles long and 4 miles wide. Early American settlers gave it the name "French Settlement" because many of the first people to live there were French Canadians.

This area is also known as an early settlement where people of different backgrounds lived together. It's sometimes called a French Canadian or Métis (people of mixed Indigenous and European ancestry) settlement. While people generally got along, marriage between the original French-speaking settlers and other European groups didn't become common until the late 1970s.

Some historical accounts focused only on settlers who didn't marry into local Indigenous tribes. However, records show that many sons and daughters of early French pioneers from the French Prairie area moved to French Settlement. This movement was short-lived, though. During the 1855 Indian Wars, many were forced to move to the Grand Ronde Reservation or fled deeper into the Pacific Northwest. Some families, like the Rivet, Bellique, Bercier, and others, were among these early pioneers.

One Indigenous group, the Cow Creek Band, managed to survive by hiding in the area for decades. They regained official recognition in 1982. Many different groups competed for the valuable land around French Settlement in the early days.

History of French Settlement

Early Fur Trade and Explorers

The Hudson's Bay Company was one of the first European groups to explore this area. They began trapping furs and trading with various Indigenous groups in the 1830s. A trading post called Fort Umpqua was built nearby in 1832.

A French Canadian named Jean-Baptiste Gagnier managed this isolated post. He partnered with Angélique, the daughter of a local Umpqua chief. Even though the area quickly ran out of furs, Gagnier became self-sufficient. He farmed about 50 acres, growing wheat, corn, potatoes, and other vegetables with the help of the local Siuslaw people.

Many fur traders passed through this area on their way to Northern California using the Siskiyou Trail. Ewing Young used the trail in 1834 to bring horses and mules. He also led a cattle drive in 1837. The Charles Wilkes United States Exploring Expedition also came through in 1841. Many explorers noticed how good the area was for future settlement. By 1846, Gagnier had a large farm with 46 horses, 64 cattle, and 45 hogs.

New Settlers Arrive

In the summer of 1848, many men from Oregon, including those from the Umpqua area, left for the California gold rush. Most returned without much success. Some then headed north to look for gold.

Hoy Bernard Flournoy, a French Huguenot born in Missouri, had surveyed the French Settlement area in 1846. He was one of the people who went to California. By 1851, Flournoy convinced four other "Frenchmen" to join him and claim land in this desirable spot. David Grenot, who came from France to eastern French-speaking Canada, was one of them. French Canadians Lapointe, Champagne, and Archambeau also settled there. LaBrie and LaHaut followed a year later, bringing their families. Soon, families like the Fenn, Scott, and Conn, who were of different backgrounds, also joined them. This mix of people began to form a new American English-speaking community.

Life in the Settlement

Among the earlier fur trade visitors were Alexandre Dumont and Joseph Laverdure. Dumont was of mixed ancestry, born in present-day Green Bay, Wisconsin. His father was French Canadian, and his mother was Saulteaux Indigenous. Laverdure had a similar background. By 1854, Dumont successfully claimed 483 acres of land in the Umpqua area. He was recognized as an "American half-breed Indian born in Green Bay." His wife, Chewelah Josephte Finlay, also had a similar mixed background. Laverdure did the same with Lizette, the daughter of a Walla Walla chief. Later, Pierre Parizeau from Montréal also settled there with the mixed-ancestry daughter of a fur trader.

However, interacting with local Indigenous people became very difficult. Devastating wars with the Umpqua tribes happened in the 1850s. The local Indigenous population was greatly reduced. Most of those who remained were forced to move to the Grand Ronde Reservation by 1856. The entire region was in distress.

Despite this, seven mixed Indigenous families resisted being moved. They hid in the Upper Umpqua Valley. These families included Dumont, Rondeau, Rainville, Pariseau, LaChance, and Thomason. They managed to survive on the "edge of frontier society in Douglas County," around French Settlement. New groups of French Canadians with mixed ancestry and useful skills were able to settle. Sons and daughters of the original French Prairie settlers also moved to the French Settlement area. They faced challenges in keeping their land in an area troubled by vigilantes. New waves of American settlers also arrived, and some mixed-ancestry people eventually ended up in Grand Ronde.

People in French Settlement practiced small-scale farming. They also raised common farm animals. Wheat was grown and milled in nearby Cleveland, Oregon.

Community and Change

Nearby Roseburg, located across the river, was founded in 1851. It was first called Deer Creek. The Catholic mission of St. Stephen the Martyr was established in 1853. The parish of Saint-Joseph followed in 1867. A visiting priest served the Catholic people in and around French Settlement. Mass was often held outdoors, and there were makeshift cemeteries and schools. The early French-speaking settlers held lively weekend gatherings to make up for these challenges.

A School District operated in the area under the name French Settlement from 1886 to 1930. The original school building was taken apart in 1921. A French Settler school continued to operate until the early 1960s. A post office briefly opened in 1874, also named French Settlement. By 1890, the name French Settlement had largely been changed to Melrose.

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