Owens Valley Indian War


The Owens Valley War was fought between 1862 and 1863, by California Volunteers and local settlers against the Owens Valley Paiutes, and their Shoshone and Kawaiisu allies, in the Owens Valley of California and the southwestern Nevada border region. The removal of a large number of the Owens River Native Californians to Fort Tejon in 1863, was considered the end of the war. Minor hostilities continued occasionally until 1867.

Origins of the conflict

During the winter of 1861-1862, in the Owens Valley, the storms that produced the Great Flood of 1862 resulted in snow and flooding conditions in the surrounding mountains and as far to the east as the Mono County seat at Aurora. There had been light snowfall in November, then mild weather until Christmas Eve when it began a heavy and rapid snowfall for days, the temperature dropped below zero and the passes over the Sierra were closed. During the second week of January it warmed slightly and the snow became a torrential rain. Creeks overflowed their banks, flooding low-lying areas. After a week it cooled again and snow began to fall. Within a few days the snow was deeper than it had been before the rains had begun to fall. Samuel Young of Aurora, recorded in his diary that the snow and rain had fallen for twenty six days out of thirty since December 24, 1861.
This cold weather and flooding resulted in the local Paiute suffering the loss of much of the game they depended on. Additionally, the cattle driven into the Owens Valley in 1861 to feed the Aurora miners, competed with the native grazers. They also ate the native wild plant crops the Paiute irrigated and depended on as a staple to survive. Starving, the Paiute began to kill the cattle and conflict with the cattlemen began, leading to the subsequent Owens Valley Indian War.

Events, skirmishes and battles of the Owens Valley Indian War

Beginning of hostilities

The valley is fast filling up with settlers and miners, and no fear is entertained of Indians as far up as Bishop Creek, which is the highest settlement in the valley. There the people are very uneasy, and fear to travel to and from Aurora, from whence their supplies are obtained. I would therefore respectfully recommend that so soon as the grass is sufficiently good that a force be sent into the valley to be stationed between Bishop Creek and Aurora, where the greater portion of the Indians supposed to be now in the valley are congregated.

Sir: In accordance with orders from headquarters Department of the Pacific, I have the honor to make the following report relative to the Indians in Owen's River Valley: I found Indian supplies in the valley not good, and the most of the Indians had left for the mountains. The Indian agent invited them to come in. Sixteen came and made the following report: They said they had been maltreated by the whites in various ways. To use their own language, they said Americans no good men. Hire Indian, and not pay him according to agreement. I learned from Mr. Maloney, one of the present proprietors of Camp Independence, that the settlers of the valley were in the habit of sending to the Tule River Reservation for Indians to come and work for them, and when they would get them there decline paying them, and after a certain length of time drive them from their claims and cabins without pay or allowance. The Indians said they would retaliate and drive the whites out of the valley. From what I could learn from the best authority, I find that unless troops are sent there the whites will have to leave the upper portion of the valley, as all the men connected with mining in White Mountain and vicinity had to leave on account of the Indians, supposed to be Captain Joaquin's party, composed of Pi-Utes and Owen's River Indians, and they are determined to drive the whites out of the valley. From conversation with Indians left in the valley we were informed that all the Indians capable of doing duty as warriors left for the mountains, leaving those that could not fight to take care of themselves. These Indians say they will go to Tule River Reservation if war commences. I believe the Indians have not been properly treated by the whites in Owen's River Valley, and I think, by all the information I could gather, that unless troops are sent there an outbreak by the Indians is inevitable.