The Siuslaw people lived in their villages along the Siuslaw River for centuries until 1860, when they were forcibly removed to an
Indian reservation in
Yachats, Oregon. The Siuslaw,
Coos, and Lower Umpqua had signed the 1855 Empire Treaty; however, the United States failed to ratify this treaty and lost it until 1916. In 1918, members of these three tribes who were not enrolled in the Confederated Siletz Tribes sued the U.S. federal government in the U.S. Court of Claims for
federal recognition. After two decades in 1938, the court ruled against the tribes. They filed suits with the
Indian Claims Commission in 1951 and 1952 but were rejected. In 1984, the U.S. Congress recognized the
Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians through legislation. == Notes ==