#4 Voices of the Grand Ronde: Clara Riggs and the Legacy of Jennie McKay

Restored & Colorized

History isn't just found in old government documents and dusty census lists. Sometimes, the best way to understand the past is to listen to the people who lived it—and the family stories they passed down.

In a 1970s interview with The Oregonian, an 80-year-old woman named Clara Riggs sat down to talk about her early life on the Grand Ronde reservation. For 18 years, Clara lived right alongside her husband Samuel's mother: Jennie Jane McKay.

Jennie's life covered an amazing and difficult stretch of history. As a young Klickitat woman, she lived through the 1856 forced removal to Grand Ronde and watched the Pacific Northwest change forever. Through Clara’s memories, we get a warm, human look at Jennie—not just as an ancestor on a family tree, but as a real person with a rich story to tell.

The Oregonian Wed, Mar 01, 1972 ·Page 34

A Klickitat Girl and the 1856 Removal

Long before the boundaries of the Grand Ronde reservation were drawn, Jennie Jane McKay grew up as part of the Klickitat people, rooted deeply in the landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. But her youth unfolded during a time of immense pressure and tragic upheaval for native communities.

As Clara Riggs recalled through family stories, Jennie's life changed forever during the forced removals of 1856. Following the treaties of that decade, federal policies and military actions forced many Indigenous families from their traditional homelands toward the newly created reservation at Grand Ronde.

Enduring the arduous trail of displacement as a young woman, Jennie carried the resilience of her people into this next difficult chapter. Daily survival required immense physical endurance. Clara shared how Jennie would routinely bring out water for the army post, carrying heavy up-ki-naws—traditional woven water baskets—all the way back on her head. It was an experience of grueling labor and quiet strength that forged the matriarch she would become for the generations that followed.

Jennie McKay Riggs water basket courtesy of Joann Colton.

The Nuptials That Never Did Take Place

Among the many colorful stories passed down through the family, one of the most striking involves a young Jennie McKay and a famous military figure: Philip Sheridan.

Before he became a prominent Union general in the Civil War, Sheridan was a young lieutenant stationed in the Pacific Northwest during the turbulent 1850s, overseeing the establishment of posts like Fort Yamhill. According to Clara Riggs's recollections, a young Jennie caught the attention of the military officer, and plans were seemingly made for a wedding.

However, the nuptials never ended up happening—all because of a mirror.

As the story goes, Jennie was given a looking glass—a mirror—for the very first time. Not realizing she was looking at her own reflection, she panicked at the sight of the "stranger" looking back at her and bolted out of the room, putting a sudden and permanent end to the match. It's a vivid, surprisingly humorous moment of culture shock and youth preserved by family memory amidst a deeply difficult era.

The Price of a Dress: Jennie and Her Aunt

Following the turbulent arrival at Grand Ronde in 1856, where Jennie’s mother tragically passed away shortly after reaching the reservation, her aunt stepped in as her guardian. As Jennie grew older, that family dynamic shifted into the stark and difficult realities of the era.

Among the most astonishing family memories preserved by Clara Riggs is the story of how a young Jennie—recalled in the family story as 17 years old, though genealogical and historical timelines suggest she was likely younger, closer to 13—nearly became part of a transaction managed by that Aunt.

According to the account, Jennie was told by her aunt,

"I'm going to sell you now. You're old enough, can't keep you any longer."

Because Jennie had learned how to cook, she was considered capable enough to be traded. The plan was already set with the general to exchange her for useful items—specifically, to give them ginghams for their dresses.

Faced with this sudden turn of events, Jennie found herself placed on a horse behind her aunt as they rode toward Phil Sheridan’s house. But when Jennie arrived, her aunt and the general had already worked out the terms. It is a stunning, deeply human window into the arbitrary and difficult realities young Indigenous women navigated during a time when they had to find a way to survive immense loss and sweeping transition.

A Lasting Legacy: Marriage and Matriarch

Following the tumultuous years of the 1856 removal and the establishing of life at Grand Ronde, Jennie's path eventually crossed with Solomon Riggs.

Solomon came from his own profound lineage of loss and endurance—his father had tragically passed away during the grueling march of displaced families from southwestern Oregon. Together, Jennie and Solomon built a life on the reservation, weathering hardships and raising a family that would carry their name forward through the decades.

Researcher's Note: Re-evaluating Jennie's Timeline and Age

Oral histories are priceless bridges to the past, but memory can sometimes soften or shift timelines over decades.

Clara Riggs's 1970s account suggested that Jennie was around 17 years old during the immediate post-removal period and the events involving Lieutenant Phil Sheridan. However, a deeper look into the historical and genealogical timeline tells a different story. By comparing Jennie's birthdate against her father's documented movements—including his time in Oregon City around the period of his relationship with her mother—the math places her birth year closer to 1848.

This adjustment means Jennie was significantly younger than traditionally recalled—around 8 years old during the 1856 removal, and roughly 13 years old when the transaction involving the dress and Phil Sheridan took place. This realization casts an even more poignant light on the immense hardships, vulnerabilities, and survival navigated by the youngest survivors of the forced displacement to Grand Ronde.

Sources: 

Chalmers, Wilma. "Octogenarian Recalls Early Life on Indian Reservation." The Oregonian, 1 Mar. 1972, p. 34.