1851 — Massacre, White Miners kill Wintu, burn Council House, Old Shasta, CA      —   300

–300  Lapena. “Wintu,” 324-25 in Heizer, Handbook of North American Indians, V8: Cal.  1978

–300  Native American Netroots. California’s War on Indians, 1850-1851 (webpage).

–300  Pritzker. A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples. 2000, 152.

–300  Spartacus Educational.  “Wintu.”

–300  Wilson. Dark History. Remembering The Bloody Rush of the California Genocide. 12-1-2017.

Narrative Information

Lapena: “In the town of Old Shasta, miners burned down the Wintu council meeting house and massacred about 300 of the people.” (Lapena, Frank R.  “Wintu,” pp. 324-325 in Heizer, William C. (ed.) Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 8: California. Smithsonian Institution, 1978.)

Native American Netroots. California’s War on Indians, 1850-1851 (webpage): “In 1851, the Americans destroyed a natural bridge crossing Clear Creek in an effort to keep the Wintu on the western side of the creek. Miners then burned the Wintu council house in the town of Old Shasta and massacred about 300 people. Following the massacre, the Wintu consented to the “Cottonwood Treaty” which gave them about 35 square miles of land.”

Pritzker: “In 1851, 300 Indians died when miners burned the Wintu council house.”  (Pritzker, Barry M. “Wintun.” A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples. Oxford University Press, 2000, p. 152.)

Spartacus Educational: “Evelyn Wolfson has argued: “In the mid-1850s a group of white settlers in Shasta County hosted a feast for the Wintu and put poison in the food. One hundred Wintu died at the feast. The survivors tried to warn another group not to share a feast with neighboring whites, but it was too late. Forty-five more natives died from poisoned food. Later the settlers dynamited a natural rock bridge traversing Clear Creek to keep the Wintu from crossing. They burned a Council House and killed three hundred more Indians.” It is estimated that between 1840 and 1900 the population of the Wintu fell from 14,000 to 395.”  (Spartacus Educational.  “Wintu.”)

Wilson, Darryl B. Dark History. Remembering The Bloody Rush of the California Genocide:

“….1851 Old Shasta: Town miners killed 300 Wintu Indians near Old Shasta, California and burned down their tribal council meeting house.”

Sources

Lapena, Frank R. “Wintu,” pp. 324-340 in Heizer, William C. (ed.) Handbook of North American Indians, Vol. 8: California. Smithsonian Institution, 1978, Partially Google digitized at: http://books.google.com/books?id=I6b6EEE1YlIC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Native American Netroots. California’s War on Indians, 1850-1851 (webpage). Accessed 3-10-2024 at: http://nativeamericannetroots.net/diary/1862

Pritzker, Barry M. A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples. Oxford University Press, 2000. Partially Google digitized at: http://books.google.com/books?id=0Gv7m3rwHyAC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Spartacus Educational. “Wintu.” Accessed 9-14-2012 at: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WWwintu.htm

Wilson, Darryl Babe. Dark History. Remembering The Bloody Rush of the California Genocide. Posted by The Raven Report, 12-1-2017. Accessed 3-10-2024 at: https://theravenreport.com/2017/12/01/remembering-the-bloody-rush-of-the-california-genocide/