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Settled in villages from the mouth of the Necanicum River south to Tillamook Bay, the Tillamook were Salish Indians living in what is now northwest Oregon. Like their neighboring tribes, Tillamook depended on salmon. They caught enough fish during the annual salmon run—April to October—to last a year. What they didn't eat fresh, they dried and pounded into a powder for later.
When Lewis and Clark first encountered the tribe in 1805, in one village there were about 1,000 people living in 50 houses. Houses were often occupied by extended families of about 20 to 30 people.
By the mid-19th century the Tillamook had declined to about 200 people. Descendants of the Tillamook still reside in Oregon, but the tribe is no longer officially organized.
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