When the Great Spirit Died: The Destruction of the California Indians, 1850-1860The most persistent enemy of the native Californians was the firmly rooted white philosophy which preached that, one way or another, the Indian was doomed. Beyond the callous references to "Diggers" and "Poor Lo", the single most important catchword of the period was "extermination." It was used early and often and picked up by the newspapers and repeated in the army reports, letters, government documents, and journals of the time. It was a word that set the stage for slaughter. When the Great Spirit Died is a sad and tragic story that will haunt our country forever. |
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Achomawi Alta Alta California Americans Angeles arrived arrows attack August Author's collection Beale Ben Kelsey Cahuilla California Indian camp Captain cattle chief Clear Lake command Culloma December early Eel River expedition farm ferry fight Fort Jones Fort Miller Four Creeks Garra Glanton Governor Henley Historical Society horses hostiles Humboldt Humboldt Bay Indi Indian agent Indian troubles Jarboe John Judah July June Kelsey killed Kings River land later Lieutenant lived Maidu Mariposa McKee Mendocino Mendocino County Miller miners Modocs mountains murder National Archives natives Nome Lackee officer party Pit River posse quickly ranch rancheria ranchers rangers reported reserve returned Rosborough Round Valley Sacramento San Francisco San Joaquin San Joaquin River San Joaquin Valley Savage settlers Shasta shot Siskiyou County Sonoma squaws Storms Sutter Tejon took trail treaty tribes troops Tulare Tule village volunteers wagon whites William women wounded Wozencraft Wright wrote Yokuts Yosemite Yreka Yuma