Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center

History of the Land

The OSU-Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center (SOREC) near Medford, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Takelma people. Takelma means “Those along the river” and they lived along the Rogue River and its tributaries, including evidence of seasonal communities along Jackson Creek on present-day SOREC. The Takelma were displaced during rapid Euroamerican colonization and armed conflict during 1852-1856. Survivors were forcibly removed to the central Oregon coast and the Willamette Valley. Today, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians identify their members as living descendants of the Takelma.