[From Asa Merrill Fairfield, Pioneer History of Lassen County (1916)]

 

INDIAN TROUBLES IN NORTHWESTERN NEVADA 1848-59

The Indians

            When Lassen county was first settled by the whites, the southern part of it and along the south side of Honey lake was claimed by the Wassaw, or Wasso (Washoe), Indians. The Pah Utahs, or Pah Utes (Piutes), claimed the rest of the valley and the most of the eastern part of the county. The Pit Rivers lived along that stream, and probably the Hat creek and the Dixie valley Indians were branches of the same tribe. The Pah Utahs and Pit Rivers made raids nearly all over the county, and occasionally a band of Modocs or Bannocks came down as far as the southern part of it. In the spring of 1857, "Old Tom" and "Old Charley," Indian valley Indians, and their families lived in the upper part of Honey Lake valley, and may have been there three or four years before that.

            The Washoe Indians ranged along the base of the Sierras, west of the Pah Utahs, from Walker lake to Honey lake. The two tribes were bitter enemies ; and there never was a treaty of peace between them until 1908, or about that time. In 1859 Major Dodge, the Indian Agent, reported that they numbered about 900, and that they owned not one pony, horse, or mule. The Pah Utahs, who spoke the same language as the Bannocks, ranged over nearly all of what is now the state of Nevada, north- eastern California, and some of southeastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho. Major Dodge reported in 1859 that there were between 6000 and 7000 of them. They lived principally along the rivers and around the lakes of the country belonging to them. When first known to the whites, "Old" Winnemucca, or Po-i-to (in a treaty made in 1858 it is spelled Winnemorha and Winnemorhas, and another authority has it Wonamucca) was their head chief, and under him were many sub-chiefs. His headquarters were at Pyramid lake. Out in the Smoke creek country there was a band of renegade Pah Utahs under a chief the whites called "Smoke Creek Sam." This band was on friendly terms with the main tribe of the Pah Utahs, but they were never very much under the control of Old Winnemucca.

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            The Washoes never gave the settlers much trouble after the "Potato War." The Pit Rivers were always very hostile, and committed many depredations until the most of them were killed or taken away. Except in 1860, the Pyramid lake Pah Utahs never had much trouble with any of the whites. A few years later on, Smoke Creek Sam's band, and that of Black Rock Tom, who ranged a little farther to the east, committed many depredations on the settlers of that section, and also on the travelers along the road from the Humboldt river to Honey Lake.

            Until the latter part of 1857, the settlers here had very little trouble with the Indians. Perhaps they stole a little whenever they had a chance, but at that time there was not much here to steal. The settlers had few animals, and did not raise much on the land. Among these Indians it seemed to be the custom to share with each other; and when one had food, the others helped him eat it. At first they seemed to think this was the custom among the whites, too, and some of them may have taken vegetables, etc., through ignorance. During the winter of 1854-5, when I. N. and Ephriam Roop stayed in the valley, an Indian stole a table-cloth that E. Roop had made out of flour sacks; and had washed and hung out on the line to dry. When he was caught with the goods, I. N. Roop yanked him around and booted him a little to show him he had done wrong ; and then Old Winnemucca told him to leave and not come back there any more.

            Old Winnemucca was a friendly sort of a fellow, and in 1856 the settlers made a treaty with him. Capt. William Weatherlow says the terms of the treaty were "that if any Indian committed any depredation or stole anything from the whites, the settlers should come to Winnemucca and make complaint to him and not take their revenge indiscriminately upon the Indians. And the whites agreed that if a white man should steal horses or cattle from the Indians or molest the squaws, that Winnemucca should come and make his complaint and they would redress his wrongs and punish the offender. The settlers also passed a resolution that no white man should molest or live with a squaw in the valley, under penalty of being summarily dealt with and driven from the settlement. The treaty was faithfully observed on both sides, in not a single instance was there a misunderstanding ,  between the whites and the Indians. Of course this referred to Winnemucca and his Indians.

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THE YEARS 1848 TO 1856

            This is speaking in general terms. The white men and the Indians could not live in the same neighborhood very long without finding some excuse for killing one another, even though there was no actual warfare going on between them. The Indian killed the white man because the latter had something he wanted, or he wanted to keep him out of the country. Sometimes he killed him out of revenge for the killing of an Indian, or for some other wrong done by the whites. The white man killed the Indian because he had stolen something or killed a white; and sometimes the Indian was killed for the fun of it, or because the white man wanted to say that he had killed an "Injun." It is said that Joseph L. Meek, the "mountain man" and trapper, and his partner, when out one morning looking after their traps, killed some inoffensive Indians. When they got back to camp and told about it, some one asked if the Indians had molested their traps or stolen anything. Meek said  "No, but they looked as if they were going to." Many frontiersmen looked upon an Indian as a wild animal and treated him like one. The only good Indian was a dead one. The Indians were blamed because they killed any white man out of revenge, whether he had wronged them or not. This was the way the Indians were raised, and they knew no better. White men were raised under the teachings of Christianity, and they have been doing the same thing ever since the settlement of America began. When a man has had his family or friends killed, or his stock driven off by the Indians ; he can not be blamed if he follows them, and takes ample revenge. But killing human beings in cold blood, without any excuse for it, is another thing. One thing that kept up hostilities between the two races was the fact that there always were white men who, out of revenge, killed an Indian every chance they had, whether there was war going on or not. Among the pioneers of this county there were several men of that kind ; and, no doubt, they honestly thought they were justified in doing it. A man who once lived in this valley told that in early days he met an Indian who had a good rifle. After some talk he bought the gun and paid the Indian for it. He went on a short distance, and then returned and followed the Indian and shot him. He took from his dead body the money he had paid for the gun, and went his way rejoicing ; thinking, no doubt, that it was a good joke on the Indian, and that he had done some clever financial work.

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            In the following pages it will be seen that in many cases, before a massacre by the Indians took place, one or more Indians had been killed for the fun of it; and the savages wreaked their vengeance as soon as possible, perhaps on innocent people. It was inevitable that the two races would fight, and that the Indians would be killed off or driven away; but in numberless cases a little more justice on the part of the whites would have saved a great deal of trouble and bloodshed.

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Indian Troubles. 1857

            It has been told that in 1856 a treaty was made between the whites of Honey Lake valley and the Pahute Indians, and that for several years it was strictly observed on both sides. Mrs. A. T. Arnold has a long statement made by Capt. Weatherlow in regard to the Indians and the Indian wars of early days, and in it he says : " The Pahute tribe of Indians occupied the valley at that time in common with the whites. They were on the most

friendly relations, visiting the houses of the whites and trading furs and game for such articles of clothing, etc., as they desired. They were unlike any other tribe I had met in the country inasmuch as they were never known to beg for food or clothing, nor did they at every opportunity pilfer and carry off articles from the whites.

            " From the first settlement of the valley the Pit river Indians which inhabited the country north of Honey lake made frequent incursions upon the settlement, driving off stock and committing other outrages. Finding that we could have no safety or security for life or property without the Pit river tribe was driven off, I raised a company of sixty men in the year 1857, and went out against the Pit river Indians on several occasions when they had made descents upon the valley and driven off stock. Winnemucca volunteered to go out with his warriors and aid us in fighting the Pit river tribe. The offer was accepted, and he and his warriors placed themselves under my command and rendered most efficient service. He obeyed orders strictly, and fought as well as any white man. He was also of great service in giving me information in regard to the Pit river tribe, their places of resort, etc."

            On the 9th of October, 1857, the Pit river Indians stole five

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head of cattle from John Weikel, who lived a little to the northeast of Rooptown. Five men immediately started in pursuit, overtook them, and found that the cattle had been killed; but some twenty Indians appeared and showed fight, and the pursuers were compelled to return. Capt. Weatherlow with thirty- two men, accompanied by Winnemucca and some of his warriors, started after the Indians again. They found them, and destroyed two rancherias and captured two squaws. Sixty or seventy Indians were put to flight and scattered in every direction. They were closely followed as far as the head of Pit river; but they succeeded in eluding their pursuers, and none of them were killed. The provisions of the pursuing party gave out, and they had to return to the valley. "When they reached home they found that the Honey Lakers had got into trouble with the Washos, who may have been aided by some of the other tribes.

The Potato War

            The following account was compiled from what was told Mr. Dodge by Wm. H. Clark and A. G. (Joe) Eppstein, from the "Alta Californian, " "The Sacramento Union," "The Marysville Inquirer," and other newspapers published at the time, and from what has been told the writer by Mr. Clark and others.

            William Morehead, who owned a ranch about two and one- half miles northwest of where Milford is now, had a patch of potatoes at the foot of the mountain about half a mile back of his house. The Washoes had been stealing vegetables and small articles from the whites; and one day early in October when Morehead had gone up to Roop 's place, they dug his potatoes and carried them away. When he returned and saw what had been done, he told his neighbors about it; and Joe Eppstein, Cap. Hill, Henry Denny, F. M. Jackson, and the two Robertson brothers went to the Indian camp about four miles down the mountain, Morehead, who was lame, remaining behind. They got into a fight with the Indians, killed three of them and wounded another one; but were chased back to Hill's cabin by the Indians. They fortified themselves there, and the Indians went back to their camp. Goodwin's fort was not far away, and about twenty settlers gathered there. Shortly after this they made a dash on the Indian camp and captured some potatoes, but killed no Indians. Eppstein, who had gone to Indian valley,

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returned with ten men, and some provisions which they greatly needed ; and they decided to attack the Indians on the morning of the 17th of October.

            There were thirty-five or forty men, and they made T. J. (Old Tom) Harvey their captain. Among them were Cap. Hill, Eppstein, Joseph A. Knettles, Denny, the two Robertsons, Jackson, Billy Clark, Lathrop, Tom. Watson, Storff, Charley Cooper, L. N. Breed, J. P. Sharp, A. C. Neale, Ben. Foreman, Van Hickey, Frank Johnson, and probably Fullbright and Crawford. The names of the others could not be ascertained.

            The Fullbright and Crawford cabin stood about half a mile below where the road runs now, and near the creek that is a little over a mile southeast of Milford; and they started from there early in the morning so as to reach the Indian camps and attack them just about daylight. These camps, two or three in number, were along the foot of the mountain several miles to the southeast. Lathrop, Eppstein, and Clark concluded to go to the farthest camp, because they thought they would find considerable plunder and not many Indians to fight. They hurried along ahead of the others, and got on the steep sidehill about three hundred yards above the camp while it was still dark. There they waited, and just at daylight they heard two or three guns fired by the men who were attacking the other camps. Then from the camp below them, where they expected to find plenty of buckskins but no bucks, seventeen of the latter came forth, all armed with rifles, and started for the upper camps. Their course was toward the three white men, who just then had a sudden longing to see their friends. They started up the hill on the run, and the Indians soon saw them and gave chase. Clark and Eppstein outran Lathrop, and he said "Hold on, boys, we must keep together," and the others waited for him to come up. A couple of the Indians had got pretty close to them, and Lathrop said "Let's fix these two." They dropped behind a granite boulder, and resting their guns on it, fired and brought the Indians down. Just then a bullet fired by one of the other Indians struck the rock in front of them, and filled their faces full of rotten granite. Clark says it stung, and he wiped his face with both hands ; and when he saw they were covered with blood, he was badly scared. They then ran on up the hill followed by the Indians. When they reached the top of it, they

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could see the other men pursuing a band of Indians. They had driven them from the upper camps, and were coming down along the foot of the mountain. The Indians were now getting very close to the three white men, and Clark, who was ahead, was waving his hat and yelling to the other party to hurry. The latter thought they were Indians and were going to fire on them, but just then they saw their pursuers come over the hill. The whites fired and killed two or three of them, and the rest turned off and joined the other Indians. Right there was where the battle commenced. It was in the sagebrush near the foot of a steep bluff, something like five and one half miles below Milford. The Indians were driven up the bluff for a short distance, and there they got into a pile of rocks and made a stand. When they opened fire from the rocks, every white man jumped behind the nearest tree. The timber was scattering at that place, and there was neither time nor opportunity to pick out a tree to fit the size of the man. Newt. Breed, then a slim young fellow, happened to get behind a big tree; but Harvey, who was large and fat, was so unfortunate as to get a small one. After trying in vain to shrink himself up to fit the size of his tree, Harvey asked Breed to trade with him; but neither at that time nor any other was Breed known to trade a big tree for a little one, and Harvey had to dodge around his tree the best he could. After the fight had gone on for a while, "Weatherlow, who had just returned from the Pit river expedition, joined them with a few men and some of Winnemucca's braves. As they were coming up one of the Indians was shot by mistake. The fight went on for some time. There were a good many Indians, their number was estimated at one hundred and fifty, and they made it very unpleasant for the whites. Finding that they could not dislodge the Indians, they started back along the edge of the timber. Eppstein, who had been shot in the thigh, they carried with them in a blanket. The Indians followed along in the timber above them, and kept up the fight. Both parties sheltered themselves behind the trees the best they could, firing at each other whenever they thought it would do any good.

            After a four hours' fight the whites got back to their starting place, the Indians having stopped their pursuit a while before they got there. The loss of the Indians was estimated at from seven to eleven killed and fourteen wounded. Eppstein was the

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only white man hurt, and his was a flesh wound and not danger- ous. One thing that accounts for the small loss of the whites is the fact that during all of the fight the Indians were above them, and probably shot too high.

            Winnemucca demanded blood money for the killing of his man, and it took both presents and bluffing to quiet him down. It would not do to have the Pahutes hostile at this time.

            Fifteen or twenty of the settlers intrenched themselves at the Fullbright and Crawford place. The Indians remained in the neighborhood, and the whites prepared still more for defense. It was reported that they attacked the whites on the 18th. That day Morehead and McMurtry came in from Carson valley, and it took watchfulness and fast traveling to get through without being caught by the Indians. "While the fight was said to be going on, Messrs. J. Williams of Honey Lake valley and M. Milleson of Indian valley started for the lower country with the following petition to the governor of California:

"Honey Lake Valley, Plumas County,

State of California, Oct. 19, 1857.

            " To his Excellency, J. Neely Johnson and the citizens of the state of California : We, the citizens of Honey Lake valley, would call your attention to the state of affairs now existing in our midst. We are now enduring all the horrors of an Indian war. The Washoe tribe of Indians whose rendezvous is at the lower end of Honey Lake valley have commenced hostilities upon us. Upon Saturday the 17th of October, inst. after an obstinate fight of four hours we were compelled to retreat owing to a disproportion of numbers. Since that time we have been engaged in recruiting our forces, removing our families, stock, etc. On the evening of the 18th inst. our forces were attacked at their fort and the battle is now raging. We have every reason to believe that the Pi-Utah tribe of Indians here-to-fore friendly, have joined the Washos and intend exterminating the entire white population east of the Sierra Nevada range. The Washos around us number four or five hundred warriors. The Pi-Utahs a still greater number. We are too small in numbers to contend against such great odds. There is in the valley now three to five thousand head of cattle, besides houses, grain, hay, etc. to a large amount in value. We therefore call upon the citizens of the state of

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California in the name of common humanity to aid us in repelling the foe now in our midst, and enabling us to maintain our position as a frontier settlement. We desire one hundred stand of arms from the state of California for our protection. J. Williams of Honey Lake valley, and M. Milleson of Indian valley, are hereby appointed to present our appeal to the Governor and the citizens of the state of California, and any attention shown to them will be gratefully remembered by us.

"Signed Isaac Roop.

M. C. Lake.

John Weikel

and 43 others."

            The two messengers reached Sacramento on the 23d or 24th inst. and found the Governor absent, and they could not deliver the petition. However they saw General Kibbe, the Quartermaster General, and he let them have "some 50 stand of arms." General Clark of the U. S. Army, who was also appealed to for assistance, said his forces were too far north to give the aid asked for.

            "The Sacramento Union" of October 27th, in commenting on the petition of the Honey Lakers for arms to fight the Indians with, said they did not see how the governor of California could help them as he had the right only to grant aid to the citizens of the state. They told about the meeting of the citizens of Honey Lake valley August 29, 1857, and said they prevented the election as they agreed to at this meeting. They told that the justices and constables appointed for the valley by the board of supervisors of Plumas county had been told that their services were not required, and that the Plumas county assessor had to leave the valley without making an assessment. They referred to the meeting held October 19, 1857, where the Honey Lakers said they would withstand any efforts made by Plumas county to control them before a line had been run to show where they were located. The "Union" thought the governor should not help them unless they were willing to abide by the laws of the state and the jurisdiction of the officers of Plumas county.

            On the 27th Mr. Williams had an interview with the Governor about the matter embraced in the petition from the citizens of Honey Lake valley and Indian valley. He admitted the course taken by the citizens of Honey Lake valley, but said they were

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willing to come under the jurisdiction of California, if it were found they were within its boundaries. Mr. Williams had been in San Francisco and laid the case before Col. Henly, who sent out a quantity of blankets and other Indian goods, with the view of enabling Mr. Lassen, as agent, to settle all difficulties without further bloodshed. Some months before this, application had been made for arms for the volunteer company organized in Plumas county. These arms— sixty stand — were forwarded at once by General Kibbe. It was understood that Mr. Williams was satisfied with this arrangement. The goods were to go up in charge of Mr. Milleson.

            We will now see what took place in the land of the Never Sweats during the absence of their messengers. They had a genuine Indian scare on hand, and, as is usual at such a time, the stories grew as they traveled. It was reported that the last, of September thirty well armed men had left Quincy to protect emigrants along the road east of Honey Lake. They were to go to Gravelly Ford on the Humboldt and punish the Shoshones. They killed and scalped a Pah Ute east of Honey Lake, and another one at the Humboldt; and the Pah Utes were going to take revenge upon the settlers of Honey Lake valley. Besides the Washos there were fifteen or twenty thousand Pah Utes; and these two tribes had induced the Indian valley Indians to join them in making a descent upon Honey Lake valley, and had threatened Indian valley. A few families left the valley. Mrs. A. C. Neale says that she went away with Dr. Slater and his family, but they soon came back. The attack on the settlers at the Fullbright and Crawford place was a false report. The Washos withdrew from the valley, and when the Plumas Rangers arrived to help the settlers, they found no Indians to fight. Probably Mr. Lassen made some sort of a treaty with the Washos, for they never made any more trouble in this part of the country.

            It was a narrow escape for the settlers east of the mountains. If the Pah Utes had commenced hostilities, too, the Indians could easily have wiped out all the settlements in western Utah.

            The settlers in Carson valley also had some trouble with the Washos at this time, for Col. Wm. Rodgers was sent to San Francisco for arms and ammunition to defend the settlers against them. Along the last of October Capt. Jim, the chief of the Washos, came into Carson valley to negotiate for peace with

THE YEAR 1857

the settlers. He stipulated that justice should be enforced against the white men who violated the rights of the Indians, and agreed to give up to the whites any man of his tribe who committed depredations upon their property. There was no person authorized by the inhabitants to enter into a treaty with the Indians; but Mr. Mott, an old gentleman who was held in great esteem by the neighbors, accepted the terms of the chief, and agreed to furnish his tribe with flour, etc., and in consequence good order prevailed.

The Pursuit of the Indians Who Stole Vary's Cattle

            The following story was told by Fred Hines. In early days the country between this valley and the Humboldt, and later on up to southern Idaho, was much frequented by the Never Sweats ; and what they did in that section will be told in the following pages.

            It will be remembered that when Hines came in from the Humboldt in the fall of 1856, he left some cattle here on the range to winter. When he came back the next spring they were very fat; and he drove them to Quincy and traded them for goods, and hired L. F. Hough to pack them to this valley. He then fitted up some teams and hauled his goods out on the Humboldt about a hundred miles above Lassen's Meadows, and again traded with the emigrants. Morton and Sylvester went with him, but Vary stayed at Deep Hole springs and kept a trading post there. Tutt and Walden had a trading post on the Humboldt in 1856, and in 1857 they went out there again.

            About the last of October Sylvester, Tutt, Hines, Chas. Lewis, Walden, J. B. Gilpin, and several men who were helping drive their cattle, were coming back to Honey Lake valley. When they reached Deep Hole Vary told them that if they would stay there a day and give him time to gather up his cattle, he would go along with them. He had nineteen head of large emigrant oxen that he had traded for ; and they were running near a spring on the west side of the Granite creek range, about five miles from Deep Hole. The next day in the afternoon, Vary went after his cattle, but he could not find them and came right back to camp. The matter was talked over, and Hines and Sylvester told him they would go back with him that afternoon and see if they could not find them before dark. Fearing they would be out all night,

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they put some crackers into their pockets. They took no weapons but their six-shooters.

            Soon after reaching the spring they found the tracks of the cattle and followed them until dark. Then they stopped on a sagebrush flat and hid themselves in the tallest brush they could find, ate some crackers, wrapped their saddle blankets around them, and wore away the long, cold night the best they could. The next morning they followed the trail, which was going in a northerly direction. Some time before noon some Indian tracks came into the trail of the cattle, and this was the first Indian sign they had seen. The cunning savages had, in the first place, scared the cattle into going the direction they wanted them to take without going near them, and then followed, keeping at quite a distance on each side of them until they thought they were safe from pursuit. That day Hines shot a sagehen and a couple of rabbits, and they ate part of them. They followed the trail until dark, and then camped as they did the night before. The next day they followed the trail all day toward the north, and ate what was left of the game killed on the previous day. On the third day Hines, who was in the lead doing the trailing, thought he saw an Indian coming down a ridge from the east, his course being such that it would cross theirs at right angles. He was not sure, though, that it was an Indian so he stopped and waited for the others to come up. He pointed out to them the object he had seen, and after watching it a while they came to the conclusion that it surely was one. Hines told the others that from the way the Indian was acting either he had not seen them, or if he had, was paying no attention to them. He thought the best plan was for the other two men to ride along on the trail of the cattle, and he would ride up the mountain on the side of the ridge back of the Indian until he judged he was opposite to him, and then ride over to him. This was done, and Hines made a good guess and came in sight of the Indian when within a hundred yards of him. He had a load of beef on his back — seventy-five or a hundred pounds — and this he threw down as quickly as he could and tried to get his bow and arrows ready to shoot. But Hines was too quick for him. He put spurs to his horse, drew his pistol, and got there before the Indian was ready ; and making him throw down his weapons, held him there until Vary and Sylvester came up. It was an Indian who had

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been around the station at Deep Hole during the summer, and he had on a pair of old overalls that Vary had given him. They talked with him the best they could, and he made them understand that he would lead them to the cattle. Hines wanted to make him carry all the beef, but Vary thought it was too big a load and he carried only a part of it. The Indian left the trail of the cattle and they soon struck a smooth Indian trail. As they were traveling along this the Indian, who was a little ahead, broke into a run. Hines yelled to him to stop, but he only looked back over his shoulder and ran faster. Hines soon caught up with him and thought at first that he would shoot him, but because he might help Vary recover his cattle Hines spared his life. A little before sunset they came to a small creek. They had been without water since morning, and both they and their horses were very thirsty. They fixed the horses' bridles so they could drink, and then lay down by the stream to quench their own thirst, the Indian among them. The latter got through drinking before the others did, and jumping across the creek, he started up the hill on the other side. Hines called to him to stop and he did so. Vary said "Never mind him. I want to go up the hill myself," and Hines paid no more attention to them. Vary left his horse at the creek with his pistol hanging on the horn of the saddle, and walked with the Indian to the top of the little hill. When they got there the Indian pointed to a hole in the knee of his overalls and asked Vary for a needle and thread to mend it. The white man took out his pocket-book and sat down on a rock, and while he was doing this the other started off on the run. While this was going on, Hines had crossed the creek and was some little distance from his horse. His attention was called by hearing Vary say "There he goes." This startled Hines and he never thought of going back after his horse, but thought he would run up the hill and take a shot at the Indian. Vary had immediately started in pursuit, but before he had run very far the rowel of his spur caught on a rock and threw him down. Just as Hines got to the top of the hill Vary arose with a big rock in his hand and threw it at the fleeing red man. If it had struck him fair, it would have broken his back ; but it fell a little short and just missed his heel. At first Hines could not shoot because Vary was in the way, and when he did get a chance his nerves were so shaky on account of the running he had done

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and the Indian was so far off that he missed him. After shooting three or four times without doing any execution he stopped, and the Indian disappeared from view in the brush and ravines. He had left his load of beef at the creek. The men went back to the creek and got their horses and rode to the top of the ridge. It was now almost dark, and they at once noticed a fire in the direction the Indian had gone. Beyond this fire and a little to the left was another fire, beyond that there was one, and to the right there were two or three more. Off to their right and a little beyond them was a large flat on which grew some very tall sagebrush. It was light enough to see that it was an open country away from the hills, and they concluded to camp for the night on that flat. Hines told the other two that if they would take his horse, he would go afoot to the first fire and see what was there. He walked as far as he dared and then went on his hands and knees until he was close enough to see that no one was there. He then went back to the others, and after going quite a ways out into the flat they found a place where the sage- brush grew very tall and not very close together. They spread a blanket over some of these brush and under it they built a little fire out of some dry brush which they broke into small pieces. Then one of them went off a little distance to find out if their fire could be seen. They spent the night there, dozing a little once in a while. The next morning the question arose as to whether or not they should go any further. The Indians knew where they were, and forty or fifty of them might make an attack at any time. At last they left it to Vary because it was his cattle that the Indians had stolen, and they were nearly all the property he had. After some talk he said they would follow the cattle part of the day, anyway, before giving it up. They took the direction the Indian had gone, and soon found the trail of the cattle which was still going north. They followed the trail until two hours before sunset without seeing any cattle or Indians, and then Vary said they had gone far enough and would turn back. They turned around and rode until after dark, and again secreted themselves in the sagebrush for the night. It took three days for them to get back to Deep Hole, using for food the beef they took from the Indian.

            When their friends saw them they threw up their hats and shouted for joy. Several days before this the men left in camp

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had made up their minds that the three men had been killed by the Indians. Lewis took possession of Hines and Sylvester's property, and sent a man to Honey Lake to get men to come out there and hunt for them. The next day after their return they sent another man to stop the help from coming. During that day they discussed the utility of a plan to have the men come on and have an Indian hunt as they had plenty of provisions. The next day they sent another man out to tell them to come on, but he met the other two coming back and they all returned to camp. The man sent out by Lewis reported that the Potato War was going on, and that he could get no men to come with him. The whole party then came on to Honey Lake valley.

            This story shows the desperate chances that men took with the Indians in those days. Their safe return was due to good luck more than anything else. Half a dozen Indians could have ambushed them in the brush or rocks, and filled them full of arrows at short range without much danger to themselves.

 

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Indian Troubles — 1858

            In 1857 General Crook built Fort Crook in the upper end of Fall River valley. This was a piece of good fortune for the people of Honey Lake valley. The Pit river Indians had always bothered them a great deal, and as soldiers were stationed at the fort after this it helped to keep the Indians in check. Besides that the soldiers often had a fight with them, and in these fights, if General Crook was in command, a good many Indians were put in a condition not to make any more trouble. In the course of ten or a dozen years the tribe became so small that they did not have the power to make very much trouble.

Treaty with the Smoke Creek Pi Utahs Indians

            The following is an exact copy of the treaty which is owned by the family of the late John F. Hulsman.

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"Honey Lake Valley, January 5th, 1858.

            "Treaty formed this fifth day of January One thousand eight hundred and fifty eight (1858) between the chief of the smoke creek band of Pi Utahs Indians named Winnemorhas and P. Lassen Isaac Roop J Williams Sub Agents of J T Henley Superintendant of Indians affairs for California.

            "P Lassen Isaac Roop and J Williams agree to give to Winnemorhas the chief of the smoke band of Indians the clothing blankets &c furnished by J T Henley upon the terms and conditions prescribed by him to us.

            "Winnemorhas the chief of the Pi Utahs Indians at smoke creek agrees in consideration of the Blankets clothing &c received by him to remain at Peace with the whole people of Honey Lake Valley and vicinity and also to refrain from stealing stock or other pilfering from the whites of the aforesaid vicinity and to return all stock stolen from them if possible for him to do so and further agrees all supplies from and intercourse with the whites shall cease if he fails to perform his part of the contract

"J Williams

P Lassen

I Roop

Sub Agents

 

Winnemorha

Chief of the smoke Creek Band of the Pi Utahs Ind

Winnemorhas. His x mark

            "Abstract of articals delivered as presents to the Pi Utahs Indians of Honey Valley on Dec 11th 1857 and Jan 5th 1858 —

Viz.

Over halls ... 90 Pr Hickory stripe 250 yds

Blankets ...40 " Cotton Kerchief 90

Military coats . . 2 Blue Prints 50 yds

Brown drill ... 25 yds Linen thread 2 Bals

Buttons ... 8 gross Thimbals 90

Combs ... 2 doz Military Jackets 82

Needles ... 500

            "We the undersigned disinterested persons here-by certify that we ware present and witnessed the delivery of the above articals to the Pi Utahs Indians

W C Kingsbury John Winnemorha Interpreter

A A Smith His x mark

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            "Abstract of articals delivered as presents to the Pah Utahs Indians of Honey Lake Valley on July 16th 1858

Over halls 54 Pr Hicory stripe 127V 2 yds

Blankets 10 . . Cotton Kerchief 30

Brown drill 7 yds Blue Prints 60% yds

Buttons 3 gross Bdls Lin thred 1 . . Bdls

Combs 2 doz Thimbels 54

Needles 5.00 Milit Jackets 18

Cotton thread 4 doz

"Witness A L McDonald

A A Smith

W C Kingsbury"

Expedition to Cold Springs in Pursuit of Indians Related by William Dow and Fred Hines

            About the middle of March six or eight head of cattle were stolen by the Indians from Charles Adams who had a ranch on the river about three miles from the lake. In the fall of 1857 when Hines was out on the Humboldt river trading with the emigrants, Adams came along with a band of cattle which he had driven from the states, and he was looking for a good place to winter them. Hines told him to come to Honey Lake, and he and his brother Abijah came in here with the cattle and took up a ranch. He remembered Hines and visited him every time he came to the upper end of the valley. When his cattle were stolen he at once came up to see Hines, and they talked the matter over. There were quite a lot of men around the Hines and Sylvester ranch, and they all told Adams they would do what they could for him. They said they would kill a beef, and then get some men together and go down and join with him in the pursuit of the Indians. Hines told him that he had better go home by way of the Bankhead place and see if he could not get some more men to go along.

            The men in the upper end of the valley got ready, and in a day or two William Dow, Fred Hines, John Neale, Henry Arnold, Wiley Cornelison, Capt. Weatherlow, U. J. Tutt, and perhaps a few others went down and camped between Willow creek and Susan river at their junction, arriving there near the middle of the afternoon. Just at dusk they heard a shot fired and saw a fire on the south side of the river opposite the mouth

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of Willow creek. Thinking it might be some men from the south side of the valley who were signaling to them, Hines and Arnold went in that direction as far as the water would permit and fired their pistols several times. They got no reply, and after waiting a while went back to camp. The next morning Adams called to them from the other side of Willow creek and said he could get no more men to go along. He had not seen the fire, and they all came to the conclusion that it had been built by some one who was out hunting cattle and had got cold. They thought no more about it until subsequent events brought it to to their minds; but the reader will please remember it, "for thereby hangs a tale."

            They took the trail of the Indians, there were only five or six of them, and followed it until night and camped at the southwest corner of Secret valley. That night they went to the top of the highest mountain that was near them to look for Indian camp fires, and this they did every night during the trip. The next night they camped at the upper end of Snow Storm creek, and the night following that at Cold Springs to the north of Madeline Plains. The next day they spent in hunting around on a big mountain in the range that comes down from the west side of Surprise valley. The Indians had gone across a point of the mountain where the ground was frozen, and there the white men lost their trail.

            The following morning they took the back track and reached home in due time without meeting with any adventures. They brought back neither cattle nor scalps, and this was the luck of many parties of Never Sweats who went in pursuit of Indian thieves.

Captain Weatherlow's Fight with the Indians

            During the spring of 1858 the Indians stole a good many cattle and horses from the Honey Lakers. The Washos, though perhaps not openly hostile, did considerable of this ; or, at least, it was laid at their door.

            I. N. Roop in a letter to the "Shasta Republican," dated April 22nd says : " The Indians are continually committing thefts in the valley. Within the last six weeks they have driven twenty-six head of cattle out of the valley besides the four that they killed here together with six horses and two mules. They

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have been followed by the citizens to no purpose save once when a company commanded by Capt. Wm. Weatherlow some two weeks since started in pursuit of the Washos. "

            The Indians had stolen some horses from Fullbright and Crawford and a party started in pursuit. Seven or eight men, one of them being Crawford, were from the lower end of the valley, and Capt. Weatherlow, Cap Hill, "Jonce" Tutt, and perhaps another man went from the upper end. In all of these expeditions after the Indians, if Weatherlow went along, he was looked upon as the leader. In fact, in most cases, he was the one who raised a crowd of men and followed the Indians after they had committed some depredation.

            The party followed the Indian trail down the valley and camped on the north side of the divide between Honey Lake and Long valleys. Along about two or three o 'clock the next morning part of them went south over the ridge to look for Indian camp fires. They thought they saw some five or six miles away and all of them excepting Weatherlow went back to move their camp over to the south side of the ridge. About daylight two Indians, one armed with a gun and the other with a bow and arrows, came to him, and being able to talk a little English, they asked him what  he was doing there. He told them that he was hunting antelope. He then started off and they followed him. He tried to keep  either one of them from getting behind him, but the one with the bow and arrows finally succeeded in doing it and Weatherlow turned and shot him with his revolver. The other Indian was too close to use his gun, so he dropped it and sprang upon Weatherlow before the latter could shoot him ; and they had a rough and  tumble fight that lasted for half an hour, the two rolling over and  over on the ground, first one on top and then the other. Weath-erlow was a small man and the Indian kept him under the most of the time, but whenever he was on top he threw sand and gravel into the Indian's mouth and eyes and yelled as loud as he could, hoping that some of his party would hear him and come to his relief. The Indian had a knife slung on a string between his shoulders, as the Indians then carried their knives, and this he tried to get and Weatherlow tried to keep him from doing it. The white man got one of the Indian's fingers between his teeth and hung to it and caught hold of the Indian's other hand, and so kept him from drawing his knife. But the red man finally

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wore his opponent out, and when his finger was chewed off he got that hand free and soon had the white man at his mercy. In a minute or two more Weatherlow would have been killed, but just then Tutt appeared upon the scene. He ran up and caught the Indian by the hair, and with one stroke of his Bowie knife almost cut off his head. Tutt had started out from camp ahead of the others, and hearing Weatherlow 's shouts, he threw down his pack and ran to him as fast as he could, getting there just in time.

            Weatherlow was badly bruised in the fight, but he received no other injuries and in a few days was ready to go after Indians again.

Charles H. Crawford Killed by an Indian, Related by William H. Clark

            A short time after the expedition to Cold Springs the Indians, Diggers, or Diggers and Washos together, stole a yoke of oxen from Manley Thompson and drove them over the mountain to the southwest and killed them. Nine men, Wm. N. Crawford, Eppstein, Denny, Elliott, Billy Clark, M. Thompson, Chapman, C. H. Crawford, Fullbright's partner, and Weatherlow, went in pursuit of the thieves. C. H. Crawford rode a mule, he being too fleshy to walk, and the others were on foot.

            They started in the morning and went over the mountain to what is now called Clark's creek, and went down this to the place where it flows into Last Chance creek. There they came upon a party of four Indians, two bucks and two squaws, camped by a big fire and they took the bucks prisoners. They were armed with guns and bows and arrows and their captors allowed them to keep their weapons. There was nothing to show that these Indians had anything to do with stealing the oxen. While the white men stood there talking a party of nine men on horseback under the leadership of Frank Johnson rode up and said they had come to help them hunt for the Indians. Johnson wanted to put up the captives at a distance of one hundred and fifty yards and shoot at them, but C. Crawford would not allow it to be done. He said that their party had taken the prisoners and that they would take them down into the valley and try to find out from them what Indians stole the cattle. Johnson said that if they could not kill the Indians there was no use of going any further. So they all started back up the north side of Clark's creek, the pris-

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oners in the midst of the men on foot, and the mounted men about a hundred yards ahead. Before they had gone very far one of the Indians threw down his gun and ran down the creek and Chapman followed him. After running a short distance the Indian jumped off a high bank into the willows, and though Chapman fired at him several times with his six-shooter, he succeeded in getting away. They then went on up the creek with the other Indian and in a few minutes he, too, threw down his gun and started up the side of the mountain, Crawford following him on his mule. The men on foot followed him, too, shooting as they ran, but they all missed him. When Crawford got within eight or ten feet of the Indian the latter turned and shot him, the arrow striking him on the right side and ranging downward into the small of his back, going almost through his body. They surrounded the Indian and kept shooting at him, but in their excitement they took no aim and no one hit him. Johnson got close to him, and if the others had not prevented it the Indian would have killed him with a knife. Finally Wm. Crawford shot him through the leg and got him down, and then they managed to kill him.

            They cut some poles and with these and some saddle blankets they made a litter, and the nine men carried Crawford over the mountain to the valley He was such a heavy man that it was a hard job, and their shoulders were worn raw by the poles. The wounded man asked Clark to pull the arrow out and he, not thinking what the result would be, did so and the head of the arrow was left deep in the wound. Dr. Slater said that if the arrow had been pushed on through his body it would have all come out, and besides that it would have let out the blood and he might have recovered. As it was he lived only three days. His tombstone says that he was killed on the 21st day of May. He was buried in the graveyard that is perhaps a third of a mile south of the road, and four miles southeast of Janesville. This is the oldest graveyard in the county. In addition to the fore- going, Thomas B. Doyle says Wm. Crawford told him that the Indians had no ammunition for their guns ; that he shot the Indian through both knees at a distance of four hundred yards, and then they all shot him and riddled him with bullets ; and that they came into the valley with Crawford about two miles north- west of Milford.

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The Trip to Goose Lake Valley in Pursuit of the Indians

Related by Dow and Hines

            On Sunday, April 18th, 1858, the Pit river Indians stole two horses and two mules from Hines and Tutt and three horses and a mule from Jonathan Scott. The animals were running on the flat to the north of Haviland's ranch and their loss was not discovered until the next day.

            Just as soon as they found out that the stock was gone Dow, Tutt, and an Indian who had come from southern California with J. Scott started out to get the course the Indians had taken with the stolen animals. Dow and Tutt were considered to be among the very best Indian fighters of the valley and they did considerable scouting. They followed the trail up past the Big Spring at the head of what is now known as the Antelope grade; and then wrote what they had learned on a piece of juniper bark and sent the Indian back with it to notify the crowd to get ready. Dow and Tutt followed the trail on over into Willow Creek valley, but came back home that night. The next day the men who were going in pursuit of the Indians met at the ranches of Dow & Hatch and Hines & Sylvester, which were just across the road from each other. The party consisted of Capt. Weatherlow, Tutt, Dow, Hines, C. C. Walden, Henry Arnold, Thad. Norton, Alec. Chapman, Storff, Amos Conkey, Frank Johnson, Rough Elliott, Charles Adams, Lathrop, and J. B. Gilpin.

            They started out the same day, taking with them three weeks' provisions, but they did not get very far. They got a late start, and not knowing the country very well, struck Willow creek about the middle of the Big Swamp. It was frozen over, but would not bear them up, so they followed down the stream about four miles until they found a narrow place, and there they crossed the creek. They went back up the creek until they found the trail of the Indians, and it then being late, they camped for the night in a neck on the north side and a little west of the center of the valley. The next morning they got an early start and followed the trail along the west side of Fredonyer Butte. Along here somewhere the Indians had killed one of the mules. About ten o'clock in the forenoon they came in sight of Grasshopper lake. They saw a big flock of brants fly up, and the man in the lead, who was doing the trailing, thought he saw a dark object on the lake and mo-

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tioned for the others to stop. They had a spyglass, and with the aid of that they could see some Indians who appeared to be setting nets for ducks in the lake. They thought these might be the Indians they were after, so a man or two went up on a ledge of rocks to watch them through the spyglass and the rest of the party went down into a canyon and camped. Just before sunset the Indians left the lake and went west across the valley to what appeared to be a mound south of the middle of the lake, and half or three quarters of a mile from it. The whites sat around their camp fire until some time after midnight, and leaving Conkey to watch the camp, they set out to find the Indians. The lake lay between them and the mound, but from the actions of the Indians they thought it must be shallow and they took a straight course. When they reached it they found it was deeper than they expected, and some of the men went around instead of going through the water. Those who waded got ahead of the others and had to wait for them to come up. When they got to the mound they found there were three of them, and the two southern ones looked very much alike. This bothered them ; but after talking the matter over they concluded to divide and part of them go around the south side of the south mound and the rest go up on the east side, and if they found no Indians they would try the next mound. It was the right one and both parties reached the Indians about the same time. They were camped on the east side of a steep ledge and those who went around came out right above them — not more than eight feet away. It was then just after daylight, and one of the Indians raised up and poked the fire with a little stick. The whites immediately fired and killed all of them, three bucks and a squaw. Only one man fired the second time. One of the Indians sprang up convulsively when he was shot, and some one who had a double-barreled shotgun shot him as he raised up. They were Pit river, or Dixie valley, Indians, but not the ones they were following. The white men thought, however, that they deserved their fate, for there were marrow- bones and fresh rawhides in their camp. The party then went back to their camp, and after breakfast took the trail and followed it along the east side of the lake, through Dry valley, then over a little sand ridge onto the west end of Madeline Plains, kept on north, and that night camped by a spring at the northwest corner of the Plains. The next day they went down through a pass to

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the south fork of Pit river, and camped that night on a creek that runs into it near where Alturas now stands. That night Dow and Elliott put on some moccasins they had taken from the Indians killed in Grasshopper valley, and went up on the side of a mountain twelve or fifteen miles away to look for Indian camp fires. They went up the mountain until they could see all over that part of the country, but saw no fires. The next morning the trail led them up Pit river, and during the day they came to a place that looked as though the Indians they were following and the rest of their band had wintered there. The Indians who had been left in camp joined the ones with the stolen animals, and they all went on together. In this place Dow and Hines do not agree, but the matter is not important. Dow says they camped that night near the south end of Goose Lake valley at the place where the Indians had camped the night before. Hines says the trail had not been very fresh, and the next morning after they camped here some of the men became discouraged and wanted to turn back. Rough Elliott and Alec. Chapman almost had a fight over it. Finally it was agreed that they would follow the trail until noon, and if it was no fresher they would turn back Early that forenoon they struck the Sheep Rock road which left the Lassen Trail at the lower end of the valley and went west to the Yreka country. In this road they found the fresh tracks of shod horses and this puzzled them. They knew it was too early for emigrants, and they thought that either the Indians had stolen some horses in Shasta county and brought them there, or that another party of white men had come from the west hunting Indians. They followed the Lassen Trail to the north, the new tracks and the tracks of the Indians they were following both being in the road. They were excited on account of finding the new tracks and also because they saw a signal fire, the first one they had seen on the trip, in the hills to the northeast, and they rode fast until they came to a steep hill that ran west to the lake. Here the tracks separated, the new ones going around the hill toward the lake and the Indian tracks straight up it. Here the Honey Lakers divided their crowd, nine men following the new tracks and the other six going up the hill. The foregoing is the way Dow tells it. Hines thinks they saw the signal fire before they reached the Sheep Rock road and that the six men started in that direction as soon as they saw it. The nine men went on around

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the hill, which Dow and Hines think must be the- Sugar Loaf, and before long came to some people camped on the north side of it near the road. They were the party with the shod horses, and were twelve Mormons, seven men, three women, two of them young ladies, and two children, from Eugene City, Oregon ; and they were going to Salt Lake City in obedience to a call from Brigham Young. The names of six of the men were B. Young, David M. Stewart, or Steward, Dr. Silas G. Higgins, Lorenzo L. Harmon, J. L. Adams, and Henry H. Winslow. The night before the Never Sweats got there, the night of the 24th, while they were changing their guard fifty or sixty Indians surprised them and stampeded all their horses, twenty-three in number. The next morning several Indians came to their camp and laid down their bows and arrows and wanted the Mormons to lay down their guns and be friendly. They said that some bad Indians had stolen their horses and after some talk they agreed to bring them back if the white men would give them a tent and some clothing. They wanted one of the white men to go with them, and Dr. Higgins volunteered to do this and had not yet got back. He told afterwards that he went with them to their main camp, probably in what is now known as Fandango valley, and there they found seventy-five Indians, as near as he could judge. These Indians said that some of the horses had been run off by other Indians, and they could return only part of them. Shortly after this they started back to the Mormon camp with twelve horses, ten or a dozen Indians going along and riding the horses. The rest of them went along, too, but they took another route.

            We will now see what was done by the smaller party of Honey Lakers. The trail which they followed over the hill led almost directly to the Mormon camp, and when they got about a quarter of a mile from it they came to a place where a high ledge of rocks ran parallel to the trail. There was a ravine between them and the ledge, and they saw a couple of Indians sneaking along it. Walden called out to take them prisoners, but Dow said they would take no prisoners, for a man had been killed by an Indian prisoner just before they left home. He and two or three others fired at the Indians, and thirty or forty more of them immediately jumped up from behind the ledge and gave a war whoop. When the Honey Lakers at the Mormon camp heard the yelling and shouting they struck out in that direction as fast as their

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horses could run and soon came upon Higgins and the Indians coming back with the horses. When these Indians heard the noise they suspected treachery, and setting up a yell, they jumped from the horses and shot them and the white man full of arrows. Higgins was shot through the hip with a bullet, two arrows were shot into his arm and three into his back, but the latter did not go through into the cavity. In an account published in a newspaper of the day it was said that he was shot ten times. Eight of the horses were wounded so bad that they died, or had to be killed. The Indians then ran away and the whites followed them as fast as they could. The six men were chasing their bunch of Indians, too; but it was hard work getting over the ledge, the ground was soft so they could not run their horses very fast, and they got behind the others. All hands were now in sight of each other. The two bands of Indians were running toward the north in almost parallel lines, but gradually drawing together, and the whites in close pursuit. Dow shot a big Indian who had got behind, Tutt shot another one, and probably several more were killed while the chase was going on. The Indians soon came together and shortly afterwards suddenly dropped into a canyon. The larger party of white men were still a little ahead, and seeing the leading Indians running up the hill on the other side, they rode right up to the edge of the canyon and found a sheer drop of twenty feet or more. They hastily pulled up and just then the air became full of arrows. Hines's horse was shot in the neck and in the shoulder before he could get off and get behind it. An arrow struck Lathrop on the breast, but he had a powder flask in his shirt pocket and that saved his life. An arrow struck Adams's stirrup. Dow says eight horses were wounded, all of them slightly, excepting one of them that was shot in the throat. Probably the arrows were poisoned, because the wounds swelled a great deal, though none of the horses died. Hines thinks only two horses besides his were shot here and that the wounded horses belonging to the Mormons came to them and stood around while the fight was going on, and some of them died there. At the edge of the canyon there was a big rock pile, and the Indians hid themselves behind and under it. The steep part of this rock pile was about one hundred and fifty yards long. It was in the shape of an elbow with the point to the west, and at each end of it one could go down into the canyon very easily. The white men

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stayed at the top of the canyon and fired at the Indians around the ends of the ledge, or wherever they could see them. The fight commenced a little after noon and lasted about four hours. The whites did not expose themselves very much and only one man was injured. Elliott got too far around the rock, and an arrow  with a stone point struck him on the side of the head, making a painful but not dangerous wound. After all of the Indians had either been shot or had run away so that no more living ones could be seen the whites thought some of going up to their main camp. They talked the matter over and finally came to the conclusion that they might find more Indians there than they could handle. Besides that they didn't know what had happened to the Mormons during their absence, and thought they ought to go and see. But before they went away they wanted to see what was in the canyon, and Hines and Johnson started to climb down into it. Just then Weatherlow, who was down where he could see under the rocks, called to them to stop, for there was an Indian down below waiting for them. Several men got their rifles ready, and then a couple more held Lathrop by the hand and he leaned out over the rocks and fired his revolver as Weatherlow directed him. When he fired the Indian jumped out into sight and the men with the rifles shot and killed him instantly. The two men then went down into the canyon and found that the Indian had only one arrow and that had no point, but he had it fixed to his bow and stood ready to shoot the first man that came down. He was a brave man, for he came to his death trying to fight with a poor weapon instead of running away. The two white men gathered up what bows and arrows they could find, the arrows all having stone points. Evidently the Indians had only one gun, for that was all the whites heard during the fight. They found seventeen dead Indians and these they scalped and brought the scalps home with them. Hines said so many parties had gone from Honey Lake after Indians and never brought anything back, they thought they would take something home to show that they had killed some this time. They never knew how many Indians were killed and wounded. There must have been fifty or sixty of them in the canyon, and probably there were more killed than they scalped and a good many wounded. On the way to the Mormon camp Dow told Hines about the Indian he shot before they reached the canyon, and said he wanted to see

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what had become of him. They looked around and finally found him sitting with his back against a juniper tree apparently dead. Hines was going to him to take his scalp when Dow told him to hold on, for the Indian might not be dead and would hurt him. He stopped and Dow took a shot at the Indian, but he never moved. Then they went to him and found that he had been dead for some time.

            They found the Mormons at their camp. They had pulled the arrows out of Higgins and they thought he would die before morning. They made a stretcher out of a blanket and some poles to carry him on, and then they all went to an open place near a creek a little south of the lake and camped there. They were afraid the Indians would attack them in the night, and in an open place there was less chance of their being surprised. No Indians came around that night, and as Higgins was better the next morning, they concluded to stay there that day. Elliott wanted his wound attended to, so he and another man started for home that morning.

            During the fight their spyglass was lost and that day Tutt, Arnold, Norton, Dow, and Adams went back to look for it. They did not find it, but they found two horses, one belonging to the Mormons and one that had been stolen from Honey Lake valley. Of the eight animals stolen this was the only one they recovered. They saw no Indians that day. There must have been a good many of them in that locality at that time, and it seems strange that they did not kill every one of the little band of whites. Perhaps they had got all the fighting they wanted, and were willing to let them depart in peace without having any more trouble with them.

            The next morning they started for the land of the Never Sweats, taking the Mormons with them. They carried Higgins in a litter made of a blanket sewed between two long poles. A horse was put between the poles at each end and a couple of men led the horses. Hines footed it all the way home, his horse being so badly wounded that he could carry only the saddle and Hines 's blankets. Higgins stood the trip all right, and after Dr. Spalding had treated him a while he went below and had the bullet taken from his hip. Some of the Mormon party went to the lower country and stayed there, but the most of them went back to Oregon and settled near Jacksonville, where Dow afterwards

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heard of them. Though the Honey Lakers brought back only one of the stolen animals, they made a good many of what they then considered to be the only good Indians, and so were well satisfied with their trip.

Another Indian Hunt

            Some time this fall the Indians stole two or three head of cattle from a man who lived with Capt. Weatherlow, name unknown. The owner of the cattle, Weatherlow, Hatch, John Mote and two Indian valley Indians went in pursuit of them. They had no fight with the Indians and brought back no cattle, but they captured a couple of squaws.

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THE YEAR 1859

Death of Lassen

            The following letter was published in "The Mountain Messenger" of Downieville, Sierra county, California:

"Honey Lake Valley, April 30, 1859.

            "This valley was thrown into great excitement by the arrival on Tuesday morning (it should be Thursday morning) of Mr. Wyatt, one of the Black Rock silver hunters, who narrowly escaped massacre by the Indians.

            "The circumstances are as follows : There has been a party of men stopping in this valley all winter, to be ready as soon as spring opened to prospect Black Rock Canyon for a supposed silver mine. This canyon and watering place is about one hundred and twenty-four miles distant from this valley, towards the Humboldt, on the wagon road. Messrs. Jameson (Probably this was Jenison.), Weatherlow, Lathrop, and Kitts started on Sunday, the 17th inst. ; Peter Lassen, Messrs. Wyatt and Clapper, following two days later, and were to rendezvous at Black Rock springs, at which place the prospecting was to commence. Lassen, Wyatt, and Clapper arrived at the appointed place on Sunday, the 24th inst., and not finding the advance party, concluded to await their coming.

            "On Monday Mr. Clapper rode on to Mud lake, eight miles distant, to look for the other party; but not finding them, returned, and during the day found signs of two white men in the vicinity of their camping-ground, and believing them to be those of Captain Weatherlow and Mr. Jameson, one being a large and the other a small track. They also saw the tracks of shod horses, which the Indians have not. They then arrived at the conclusion that the advance party were over the mountain at another camping place, and concluded to go there the next morning and see them, having encamped at the mouth of the canyon, within one hundred yards of some projecting rocks. In the evening they saw an Indian, on horseback, making a circuit of their camp, then disappearing. After a while he made his appearance in another direction and dismounted. With much difficulty he was induced to come into camp. He could not speak English, but Lassen said he spoke Piutah. While he was in camp they heard the report of a gun, when the Indian immediately said 'Piutah,' and gave the whites to understand there were six of them.

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            "The Indian then left them, and they retired to rest, supposing themselves safe anywhere in the Piute country. Just at daylight they were fired upon from the rocks near by, killing Mr. Clapper in his bed. Lassen and Wyatt sprang upon their feet and commenced gathering up their things ; and not knowing that Clapper was killed, seeing he did not rise, supposed him asleep. Wyatt put his hand on his face to wake him, but found it covered with blood. Turning him over, he saw that he was shot through the head. Lassen said, 'I will watch for the Indians while you (Wyatt) gather up the things.' While doing so the Indians fired on them again, and Lassen fell, to rise no more. He spoke but once. ' They have killed me, ' then fell on his face and gasped but once. Thus fell the 'old pioneer' whose whole history and life almost is connected with the exciting and wild scenes of the west ; and when this and other generations shall have passed away the traveler will look on the snow-clad buttes, and hear of the fertile meadows that bear his name, and remember with reverence the venerable voyageur.

            "When Wyatt saw Lassen fall he dropped everything but his rifle, caught his horse and fled with precipitancy. He arrived here on Thursday morning, without having taken food or rest. A party of twenty men started this morning to recover the horses and property, if possible, and ascertain the whereabouts of the other party, Great fears are entertained for their safety. Another party will follow immediately, with a wagon to bring in Lassen's and Clapper's remains. The advance party will proceed, if possible, to trail the Indians to their lurking place and chastise them. Z. N. Spalding."

            The following is an extract from what was published in the "San Francisco Chronicle" fifteen or twenty years ago:

            "The authority for the following narrative of the killing of Peter Lassen is Ephraim V. Spencer, who has lived in Lassen county for thirty-five years. The story was told to him over and over again by a man named Lemericus Wyatt, who was in Mr. Spencer's employ for two years, in fact until he died. Though Wyatt was an illiterate man, his story was well worthy of credence. He had the reputation of being both truthful and honest. The reasons for his knowledge of the incidents connected with the killing of Peter Lassen the story itself fully reveals.

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            ''Early in the spring of 1859 'Uncle Pete,' with Lemericus Wyatt and a man who went by the name of Clapper and whose Christian name Wyatt never knew, set out on a prospecting trip for silver. They went to what is known as Black rock, in the northwestern part of Nevada and about 140 miles northeast of Susanville. They had three horses, two pack mules and a full prospecting outfit, including rifles. At the Black Rock range they camped one evening beside a small stream ever since known as Clapper creek. The camp was in a nook of the canyon, overlooked by high bluffs on three sides. There was a little feed for the horses, and the place was a very pleasant, if in those times dangerous location for a camp.

            "While the men were getting supper an Indian came to the camp carrying a good muzzle-loading rifle. He had neither powder, caps nor bullets, and by dumb show made his wants known. Wyatt and Clapper strenuously objected to furnishing the redskin with the ammunition, but Lassen, who, as usual, was friendly with the Indian, said that no harm could come of it ; that all the Indians knew 'Uncle Pete' and would never hurt him, especially this Indian, as he was a Pah Ute. Much to the regret of Lassen's companions, the pioneer gave the Indian a good supply of all he asked, and the visitor immediately made off.

            "They picketed their animals for the night a short distance away and then made a common bed for themselves on the ground, Clapper lying in the middle. Just as day was breaking Wyatt was awakened by the report of a rifle. He sprang to his feet and called to his companions. He jerked the blankets off Clapper and caught him by the shoulder. In so doing he turned the man over. Blood spurted from Clapper's temple, showing that he had been shot clean through the head. Wyatt started to run, calling upon Lassen to do so too. 'Uncle Pete,' however, remained standing by the bed shading his eyes with his hand and holding his rifle easily with the other, trying to discover where the shot came from. While he was still peering into the rocks a second shot rang out and Lassen fell. Wyatt ran back to Lassen and partly raised him from the ground, but life was ebbing fast and nothing could be done. Wyatt looked about for a place of safety, knowing that he was a target for the same murderer. He made for the horses, but before he reached the place where they were picketed he saw that they had pulled their picket-ropes and

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stampeded. He hurried after them, running for his life toward the mouth of the canyon and the desert beyond. A sharp reminder of the need of haste, in the shape of a bullet, passed through the leg of the fugitive's trousers, but did not draw blood.

            "Wyatt was then sixty years old, weighed about two hundred pounds, and was both clumsy and slow on his feet. "When he reached the entrance to the canyon his courage fell. Stretching from the base of the mountain away over the white alkali plain was a cloud of dust which hid from sight his only hope of safety — the runaway horses.

            "As he peered hopelessly after the retreating cloud he saw something which made his heart leap into his mouth. Out of the dust the form of his own fine black pacing horse suddenly appeared. The animal had faced about, apparently struck by some sudden impulse. For a second or two it seemed to take its bearings, and then on a mad gallop retraced its steps until it reached the advancing Wyatt, and invited the old man as plainly as signs could indicate to mount.

            "Wyatt rode the whole one hundred and forty miles to Susanville bareback at breakneck speed, without a mouthful to eat and with nothing but a picket rope to guide his faithful animal."

            It must have been a terrible trip. The condition of a man of his age and weight after riding a barebacked horse that distance may be imagined. To the physical suffering add hunger and thirst and the fear of pursuit by the Indians or of meeting another band of them, and an idea can be obtained of the horrors of that journey. The fact that Wyatt 's saddle horse allowed himself to be caught is one of the strangest things of the whole affair. Wyatt said the horse was always shy and hard to catch, and was the last one of the horses he had any idea of getting hold of. It seemed to him almost like a miracle.

            Weatherlow and his party got to Black Rock two days in advance of Lassen and the other two men and camped on the hill seven miles from Mud lake. Lassen and Clapper were killed only a mile from their camp. Weatherlow 's party prospected until their provisions were nearly gone and then started for home, thinking Lassen had taken another route and could not find them. On the second day they met the Honey Lakers who were coming out to see what had become of them, and were told of the murder of Lassen and Clapper. The relief party got back to Honey Lake 

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on May the eleventh. Ross Lewers and John H. Neale were the only members of the party whose names could be ascertained. The bodies of the murdered men were in an advanced state of decomposition and were buried where they were found. Everything went to show the truth of Wyatt 's statement. The Indians who committed the murder were not pursued as they had eleven days the start.

            Captain Weatherlow says: "The killing of Lassen and his companion caused great excitement in the settlement, and much feeling against the Indians. Several of the settlers attributed the murder to the Pah-utes, but from my own knowledge of the friendly relations between the chief Winnemucca and Peter Lassen and the high esteem in which Lassen was held by the Indians and from the fact that there was no apparent change in the conduct of the Pah-utes who continued to visit our houses and exchange civilities and friendship, I did not believe that the Pah-utes had committed the murder nor that they were at all cognizant of the fact. I attributed it entirely to the Pitt river tribe which the whites had fought and defeated and who frequented the Black Rock country in small hunting bands. There had been no difficulty of any kind between the Honey Lake people and the Pah-utes that would have provoked them to so wanton an act of revenge, especially upon Peter Lassen, who had ever been their firm friend. But the Pit river Indians against whom we had fought would certainly have exulted in surprising and cutting off any small party of whites, and to them alone did I attribute the murder of Lassen."

            "The Grizzly Bear" of May, 1912, says that about a month later P. H. Lovell sent the following letter to the Placerville "Semi-Weekly Observer" :

"Genoa, May 20, 1859.

            "Editor of Observer: Our Indian agent, Major F. Dodge, has just returned from Honey and Pyramid Lakes, whither he has been to inquire into the late Indian depredations to the north of Honey lake. The major is not satisfied that the Indians alone are implicated in the matter, from the fact that two sacks of flour, some dried beef, blankets, and part of a keg of whiskey, were found in the camp of the murdered party — a thing unprecedented in Indian depredations. Peter Lassen and Edward Clapper were killed on the spot. Lemarkus Wyatt, one of the survivors of the

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party, with whom the major had an interview, had returned to Honey Lake. The four others reported killed have also returned to the lake safe, together with the party of twenty who, it was reported, went out to bury the dead. The major held a council with the venerable Piute chief Winnemucca, with about three thousand of his nation, at Pyramid Lake."

            "The Grizzly Bear" also says: "Later, Winnemucca went to Genoa and reported to Major Dodge that he could learn nothing further from the Indians regarding the affair. This leaves one to infer that it was Dodge's opinion that Lassen and Clapper were killed by the other men."

            Weatherlow says: "Major Dodge, the Indian agent of the Pah-ute tribe, had never visited the valley to my knowledge, but shortly after the killing of Lassen's party he came to Honey Lake, remained but one day, and returned to Carson City without having had an interview with the chief Winnemucca or made any earnest inquiry into the causes or the perpetrators of the murder. Shortly after the departure of Major Dodge there appeared a statement in one of the newspapers (I think the "Sacramento Union") with authority from Major Dodge to the effect that he (Dodge) did not believe that the Indians had killed Lassen at all, but that he was murdered by white men. This was a charge of the most unwarrantable nature against the four white men who were the only ones within hundreds of miles of the place where the massacre took place, and I as their leader and commander called Major Dodge to an account personally for the charge. He retracted his charge and promised to do so publicly through the press. Whether he did so or not I can not say, as I have not heard of Major Dodge visiting our valley since. The suspicion which rested upon the minds of some of the settlers that the Pah-utes had murdered Lassen apparently died away, and the same friendly relations existed as before. ' '

            The report that Lassen had been killed, and by white men, spread rapidly over the country. At first a good many believed it, but in a short time very few put any faith in the story. The writer, however, has met one or two men who believe it to this day and they think they have good reasons for doing so. He has heard these reasons given, but to him they do not warrant any such belief. Bancroft's History says that in the Sacramento valley there was much hard feeling toward him (Lassen) on the

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part of those who suffered while going over the Lassen Trail. Excepting this, there is nothing to show that he had any enemies among the whites. "The Red Bluff Beacon" told that he was allowed to go to his old ranch and help himself to whatever pleased his fancy and Fred Hines told the same thing. During a residence of almost fifty years in this county the writer has never heard an old settler say anything against Lassen, or say that he had trouble with any one. That Weatherlow or his party had anything to do with the murder is not even to be thought of. There seems to be absolutely no reason for the belief that Lassen was killed by white men.

            It has often been said that the Indians would not kill Lassen. It is true that he was good friends with many of them. Hines says that in 1856 he and Vary were camped at Deep Hole springs. Some time in the night Lassen came in, turned his horses loose and went to bed. The next morning they could not be found in the neighborhood of the camp. Lassen did not worry much about it and along in the afternoon some Indians brought them in. Hines knew that on several other occasions the Indians brought Lassen 's horses to him when they had wandered away. But Lassen had enemies among the Indians as well as friends. In 1851 the Pit Rivers killed a party of Indian valley Indians and carried off some of their squaws. Lassen raised a party of thirteen whites and all the able-bodied Indians in the valley and went in pursuit. Early in the morning of the third day Lassen saw Indians stealing along among the trees and in a short time he killed three of them. He and his party completely defeated the Pit Rivers and they never gave the Indians of Indian valley any more trouble. The foregoing is told in "Hutchings' California Magazine" for June, 1857. Doubtless the Pit Rivers remembered this and would have been only too glad to kill him. Besides that, there were many renegate Indians in the Black Rock country who would have killed him and his party, or any other white men, for a ragged shirt, or for the fun of it.

            "The Hesperian Magazine" for August, 1859, says: "The news of his death was received with sorrow throughout the state and many of the Masonic lodges published tributes of respect to his memory."

            At a meeting of the F. and A. M. of Honey Lake valley held

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at Susanville May 22nd, 1859, the following were among the resolutions adopted:

            "Resolved, That in the death of Peter Lassen the community has suffered the loss of an enterprising citizen, a warm-hearted friend, a true and faithful brother, and one of the most ardent members of the Masonic Fraternity in the State of California.

            "Resolved, That we sincerely sympathize with the brethren of Western Star Lodge, No. 2, at Shasta, California, of which he was a member. ' '

            In November, 1859, Johnson Tutt and perhaps Antone Storff and Joe Kitts went to Black Rock and brought Lassen 's body to the valley. On the 27th he was buried with Masonic honors under the great tree where he camped the first night he stayed in the valley. It is said he often wished that this might be his final resting place. In 1862 a monument was erected over his grave and during that year an account of it will be given.

            Clapper's body was left where it was buried that spring at Black Rock and much dissatisfaction was expressed throughout the valley because it was not brought in, too.

            John S. Ward, John H. Neale, and Albert A. Smith were the administrators of Lassen's estate. It has been told how his ranches were disposed of.

            A few articles once owned by Lassen are still in existence. Fred F. Kingsbury of Sacramento has a pipe which Lassen brought from Denmark and which was an heirloom. William C. Kingsbury, Fred's Father, who was Lassen's partner, was using it when the latter went on his last prospecting trip. L. M. Folsom of Susanville has a clock that is said to have been owned by Lassen. Orman Folsom bought this clock from some one a good many years ago and afterwards gave it to his son M. O. Folsom, who, in the course of time, gave it to his son, L. M. Folsom.

Lassen's Masonic Charter

Taken from "Fifty Years of Masonry in California"

            "Other Masons had arrived from time to time and in 1847 Lassen went back to Missouri with the avowed object of bringing back to California with him a train of emigrants and the charter of a Masonic lodge, if possible.

            "In Missouri he met Brothers Saschel Woods, L. E. Stewart

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and others, and an application being made to the grand lodge of Missouri for a charter to them it was duly signed, and issued May 10, 1848, as Western Star Lodge, No. 98, duly granted by the grand master and other officers with the seal of the grand lodge of Missouri attached, and granted to Brother Saschel Woods as Worshipful Master, L. E. Stewart as Senior Warden, and Peter Lassen as Junior Warden, to be located at Benton City, Upper California. "

            "Having attained his objects, Brother Lassen returned with an emigrant train of twelve wagons by the way of Fort Hall, and at the head of Pit river was overtaken by a party of Oregonians on their way to the gold fields, and with their aid reached Lassen's ranch in safety. Lassen's company had not heard of the discovery of gold in California until meeting this party from Oregon, and he was also ignorant of the fact that a Masonic lodge had been instituted at Oregon City, Oregon, on September 11, 1848, also by a charter from the grand lodge of Missouri, or that Brother Joseph Hull, the master, and several other Brethren of that lodge were in the Oregon party; and neither party knew until long afterward that any of the others were Masons, or that Peter Lassen had in his possession a charter for a lodge which he had brought through with him in his train.

            "Brother Woods accordingly opened said lodge in Benton City on October 30, 1849, and proceeded to work.

            "When it came to the numbering of the charters by the grand lodge of California at the first Annual Communication in May, 1850, Western Star Lodge, No. 98, was deprived of its seniority. Its charter was in California before the charter of California Lodge left Washington to come by the Isthmus of Panama. The committee on credentials of the convention which formed the grand lodge of California had been misinformed as to the date of the opening of California Lodge and awarded that lodge No. 1.

            "The gold mining industry changed the condition of the population at Benton City, and it (Western Star Lodge, No. 2) was moved to Shasta City in 1851, and in November of that year sent in its first returns from that place. In 1853 the hall and records and all the property of this lodge were burned, but they fortunately succeeded in saving the original charter brought from Missouri by Peter Lassen."

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Trouble With the Pit River Indians

            In the Dixie valley country there are traces of two battles with the Indians, but the date at which they took place can not be learned. One of them, at least, occurred after Fort Crook was built, and perhaps both of them took place in 1859, or within a year or two of that time.

            Charles F. Hart has this to say about them : " Opposite Muck valley, at the bottom of Pit River Canyon, are old wagons broken to pieces. Old settlers say the Indians attacked some immigrants at Spring Gulch, captured their wagons, and rolled them down the gulch and over the cliff to the bottom of the canyon. What became of the immigrants, I never heard.

            "About one-fourth of a mile below the Horse Creek Crossing are more ruins — old tires and decayed pieces of various parts of wagons — where Indians drove off the immigrants, captured their goods, rolled off the wagons over the cliff ; and were dividing up and enjoying the spoils when the immigrants returned with reinforcements of soldiers from Fort Crook and killed or captured nearly all of them. Old Indians have it yet that Horse Creek ran red with their blood into Pit River that time. Fort Crook was in Fall River valley about thirty miles away, near what is Glenburn now."

            September 3, 1859, the Pit River Rangers attacked the Indians on Beaver creek and killed about seventy.

            Late in the year Gen. Kibbe captured 533 bucks, squaws and pappooses and their chief, " Shavehead, " of the Pit River tribe. They were taken to the Indian reservation in Mendocino county. It is said that a great many of these Indians, if not all of them, made their way back home across the mountains.

            Thomas Brown says that in the fall of 1859 Company A of the 1st Regiment, United States Dragoons, almost a full company, under the command of Lieutenant Carr, was stationed at Fort Crook. Some time during the fall they came to this valley and camped in the forks of Susan river and Willow creek. They stayed during the time of the emigration and then went back to Fort Crook.

Colonel Lander's Road Expedition

            In the fall of 1859 Col. Fred W. Lander, Supt. of the U. S. Wagon Road Expedition, came into the valley from the Hum-

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boldt river with quite a large body of men — some say one hundred. He was sent out by the United States government to improve the emigrant road. He opened up the springs and built reservoirs, changed the road in places, dug out the rocks, cut down the banks of the creeks, etc. He went below for the winter, but came back in the spring and took part in the Indian war of 1860.

 

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Asa M. Fairfield, Indian Troubles in Northwestern Nevada  1848-59; 1860; 1861-64; 1865-67; 1868-69