Molala History

       The Molala, now extinct, were a small tribal group that lived in the Central Cascade mountains. It is believed that they originally lived in north-central Oregon, along the Deschutes River in the Tygh Valley, but were driven into the mountains by the Tenino. (Toepel 1980:76)
       The Molalas are split into two groups. The Lower Molalas occupied the headwater region of the Umpqua and Rogue Rivers while the Upper Molalas stayed in the Willamette watershed area. The Molalas lived in semisubterranean houses in the winter and traded extensively with the Klamath tribe to the south.
       Little is known about the Molala language. It is believed to be a language isolate within the Penutian language phylum. The Portland Journal  reported on July 3, 1957 that a man by the name of Fred Yelkis was the last of the Molala tribe. (Ruby 1986: 139)