Collection: Directories and Documents > Tanis Thorne Native Californian & Nisenan Collection

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Title: History of Placer County (Excerpt from)(1882) Collection Type: Directories and Documents Collection Name: Tanis Thorne Native Californian & Nisenan Collection Publisher: Thompson & West Published: 1882 # of Pages: 6 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2024-08-28 14:42:12 OCR Software Version #: tesseract 5.4.1 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 03:20:22 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 03:20:22

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

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and meat carried off. Pierson was furious. As it was unsafe to go further in pursuit, they returned to Illinoistown for reinforcements. At a public meeting at Pierson’s, the Blades were formed with 21 members. Armed with various guns and cutlasses, the following day they went 4 or 5 miles westerly from Illinoistown [along an Indian trail], surprised a sentry on a ridge and captured him, and not long afterward entered an Indian village. All Indians fled, though no shots were fired. there was “undoubted evidence’ of pillage and “other articles” giving rise to suspicion they had murdered white men to obtain them.(Riches) “Besides this, there were large cribs of acorns, piles of pine cones, and supplies of manzanita. Some argued there would be no security ._ unless all Indians driven across the Bear, others thought this “too inhuman’ to deprive Indians of —_ huts “cunningly contri ived and food so carefully garnered.” but their was evidence of pillage, men “ had been shot with arrows in the woods, and clemency would be construed as cowardice. “The restrictionists won by a single vote.” In an hour, all (including the valuable plunder allegedly?) that was left was ashes and mortars and pestles. 359 “The same day, another camp was attacked, two men killed, and several children taken prisoners, and the village and stores destroyed. Until June, Indians were unsafe upon that divide, “One after another did the Blades seek out these villages,” destroy stores, and drive them across the Bear. In January some “went down to Auburn” and stampeded 50 head of stock, never recovered. Auburn men dared not attempt retaliation without the help of the Blades. forewarned culprits got out of reach before footsore men from snow traveled reached them. “Several villages , however, were destroyed.” Evidence of perfidy was huts covered with mule or oxen hides. Shortly thereafter, a raiding party from across the Bear stole a Fairchild mule and looted provisions from Egbert’s store “and made their escape across the trail to the Bear River.” Unable to cross (the swollen stream) with the mule, they shot it and got across with the plunder. In April they stole more Pierson and Fairchild valuable stock. Pierson again raised the Blades to action. 20 Indians were killed or scalped, and a month later nearly all the waysides on the road to Illinoistown displayed Indian scalps. Several men were shot on the wagon trail from Auburn to Illinoistown, but things winding down by then. The foothill Indians were “peculiar people”; few had ever visited the missions “though many of the male adults had been to Sutter’s Fort.” (359) Indians appeared at Mendenhall’s demanding biscuit. On another occasion a big ‘buck” wearing a only a plug hat and a dragoon’s cavalry man’s jacket—all blue with gorgeous stripes of red and . . v ©" /— yellow (no doubt stolen) but no shirt and no pants! “Stoically with statue-like rigidity, he thought himself admirable, but mixed-company laughed at him. He left in embarrassment. They ate bugs, in conclusion. Peterson (p. 13) says Tucollie, _ chief of the Wapumney tribe and one of Sutter’s “corporals”, was given of certificate of good behavior but Sutter, which Tucollie showed Powers. (Tucollie was drawn by Brown!)/ Ti-Co-La of Bem-pi signed the Fort Union treaty. Wapumne Nisenan signed treaty at forks of the Cosumnes 9, 18, 1851 and Hoola was the signator. (Bibby, /Auburn, 66 L page)Shelly Covert (5/5/17 interview) says Wal-Lem-Hook of Mon-e-da) means “white man chief’ in Nisenan. Brian Bibby, Deeper than Gold, says p. 66 that Oitey (aka Captain John) of \ [ NY Ww Auburn, moved village of Wenne’a to Hu’ll in late 1850s; he’d served in Sutter’s army and in / 1842-45 and worked at Hock Farm. he signed Camp Union Treaty on behalf of the “Ya-mado” (Yamandodo on lower American River near Watt Ave.) p. 52, Bibby identifies several villages near and surrounding Colfax: Kaubusma is Colfax, — Chuyumom is near; Koyo is 3 miles south, Sumyan is east; Hemhembe, on mile west, [Hemhem is Yankee Jim’s on map, p. 51) Kauyama is near; Manaiiyi, is north near the railroad bridge, Soloklok is on flat just north of Colfax; Chistok’umpu is a large village south of Colfax; Manim Pakan is west of Colfax. 5 villages are nearby Clipper gay; and Weemah (named for headman)