How "Depot Charley" Became Depoe: The Story Behind Our Family Name
How "Depot Charley" Became Depoe: The Story Behind Our Family Name Depot Charley (Ki’sa), respected spiritual leader, ghost dancer, and tribal judge. Photo courtesy of the Lincoln County Historical Society, Lincoln City, Oregon (Catalog #1316). Topographic map highlighting Depot Slough and Toledo, Oregon. "The Siletz reservation was supplied (with some difficulty & after some trial & error) through Yaquina Bay. Schooners would bring supplies into the bay and they would be loaded off onto barges, which would then be brought up the Depot Slough to a government shed. Teamsters would bring the supplies over the hill in a buckboard wagon. Many of our tribal members drove team & wagon, Depot (or DePoe) Charlie probably being the most notable. In fact he got his name (which became the family name DePoe) from his job of driving supplies from the Depot to the Agency." — Siletz Tribal Language Project Historical Pacific coast schooner similar to the vessels that b...
