Bloody Island massacre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bloody Island Massacre |
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| Location | Clear Lake, Lake County, California |
| Coordinates | 39°08′56″N 122°53′17″W / 39.149°N 122.888°W |
| Date | May 15, 1850 |
| Target | Pomo under Chief Augustine |
| Deaths | 60–200 Pomo Native American old men, women and children. |
| Perpetrators | Elements of 1st Dragoons Regiment of the U.S. Army, under the command of Lieutenants Nathaniel Lyon and J.W. Davison |
| Motive | Revenge for the deaths of slave owners Andrew Kelsey and Charles Stone, who were killed in a slave rebellion |
| Reference #: | 427 |
The Bloody Island Massacre was a terrible event where many Pomo people, who are Native Americans from California, were killed by the U.S. Army. This happened on an island in Clear Lake, California, on May 15, 1850. It is considered part of a larger period of violence against Native Americans in California.
Before the massacre, some Pomo people were forced to work for two settlers, Andrew Kelsey and Charles Stone. These settlers treated the Pomo very badly, keeping them in one village and giving them little food. Eventually, the Pomo fought back and killed their captors. In response, the U.S. Army attacked, killing at least 60 Pomo people.
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What Led to the Massacre?
The Bloody Island Massacre is also known as the Clear Lake Massacre. It took place on an island the Pomo called Bo-no-po-ti or Badon-napo-ti, which means "Island Village." This island is at the north end of Clear Lake in Lake County, California. The Pomo traditionally gathered there each spring to fish. After the massacre, the island became known as Bloody Island.
Pomo People Forced to Work
Many Pomo people, especially those from the Big Valley area, were forced to work for settlers Andrew Kelsey and Charles Stone. Kelsey and Stone had bought cattle in 1847. They made local Pomo people work as vaqueros, or cowboys, to care for the cattle. They also forced the Pomo to build them a home, promising food in return, but they did not keep their promises.
Harsh Treatment and Starvation
Kelsey and Stone treated the Pomo very harshly. The Pomo were kept in a village surrounded by a fence and were not allowed to have weapons or fishing tools. Families were starving because they received very little food, only about four cups of wheat per family each day. One story tells of a young man who asked for more wheat for his sick mother, and Stone reportedly killed him.
In the fall of 1849, Kelsey forced 50 Pomo men to go with him on a trip to find gold. Kelsey became sick, and he sold the food meant for the Pomo men to other miners. The Pomo men starved, and only one or two of them returned alive.
The Pomo Fight Back
The Pomo people became very desperate because of the starvation. Two men, named 'Suk' and 'Xasis', tried to get a cow using Stone's horse, but the horse ran away. They knew they would be punished. So, Chief Augustine's wife made the men's gunpowder useless by pouring water on it.
At dawn, Pomo warriors attacked the settlers' house. They immediately killed Kelsey with an arrow. Stone jumped out a window and tried to hide, but Augustine found him and killed him with a rock. After this, the Pomo men took food back to their families. Everyone then left to join other relatives around the lake. Some went to Badon-napoti, where the spring fish spawn was happening.
The Massacre on Bloody Island
On May 15, 1850, a group of soldiers from the 1st Dragoons Regiment of the U.S. Army arrived. They were led by Lieutenant Nathaniel Lyon and Lieutenant J. W. Davidson. Their goal was to find and punish Chief Augustine's group.
However, when they found a group of Pomo people on Badon-napoti (Bloody Island), they attacked. The soldiers killed old men, women, and children. The National Park Service estimates that the army killed 60 of the 400 Pomo people present. Other reports suggest as many as 200 were killed. Most of the younger Pomo men were away hunting in the mountains at the time. Some of the people who died were relatives of the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake and the Robinson Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California. The army also killed 75 more Pomo people along the Russian River.
A Young Survivor
One of the Pomo survivors of the massacre was a 6-year-old girl named Ni'ka, also known as Lucy Moore. She managed to hide underwater and breathe through a tule reed, which is a type of plant. Her family later created the Lucy Moore Foundation. This foundation works to improve understanding and relationships between the Pomo people and other residents of California.
Remembering the Past
After the massacre, the Pomo people were forced to live on small areas of land called rancherias by the government. For most of the 1900s, the Pomo, whose numbers had greatly decreased, lived in poverty on these small reservations. For a long time, many history books about California did not mention the Bloody Island incident or the harsh treatment of Native Californians.
Today, two historical markers remember the site. The first marker was placed in 1942. It simply noted the location as a "battle" between U.S. soldiers and Indians. However, a second marker, California Historical Landmark No. 427, was placed on May 15, 2005. This marker describes the location as a "massacre" where mostly women and children were killed. It was placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation, working with the Lucy Moore Foundation. The Lucy Moore Foundation is a group that helps teach people about the massacre.
