El Dorado Indian War facts for kids
The El Dorado Indian War was a conflict that happened in California between 1850 and 1851. It involved Native American groups, miners, and the California State Militia. This war took place in what was then El Dorado County. The state spent a lot of money on this conflict, with two main expeditions costing over $300,000 in total.
Why the El Dorado War Started
In the summer of 1850, a serious event happened near Johnson’s ranch. This area was about six miles north of Placerville, California. Some Native Americans were killed by miners and settlers. People at the time thought this attack was unprovoked. It was believed the attack was meant to make the Native Americans angry. The hope was they would fight back. If they did, then the settlers could ask for a permanent army base. This base would help control the Native American groups.
As expected, the Native Americans did fight back. They killed several miners in response. Miners and settlers then complained to the county and state leaders. They asked for help and protection from these attacks. In response, three groups of soldiers, called militia companies, were sent. One company came from Mud Springs and two from Placerville. Sheriff William Rogers led this army. B.F. Ankenny was in charge of supplies as the Quartermaster.
The First El Dorado Expedition
Once the three militia companies were ready, they marched to Johnson’s ranch. The army set up camp there. They waited for the Native Americans to appear, but they never did. After about four weeks of waiting, the officers decided to go look for them. They ordered the camp to be packed up. The whole army then searched for Native Americans near a town called Fiddletown.
They searched a large area but could not find any Native Americans. The search ended, and the army went back to Mud Springs. There, the soldiers were sent home, meaning the army was demobilized. This marked the end of the first part of the El Dorado Indian War. It was seen as a failure. The official report said only one Native American was killed during this expedition.
The Second El Dorado Expedition
Even though the first expedition ended, the Native Americans continued to act aggressively. During the first conflict, they had hidden high in the mountains. When the army left, they came back down. They went on a raid through an area called Diamond Springs. They killed a miner in his cabin. They continued to attack more people on this raid. However, they always avoided towns with many people.
The raid continued until the Native Americans reached Mud Springs. At this point, they went back to the mountains. On their way, they killed two more miners. Again, many miners complained to the State. They strongly asked for protection from the Native Americans. What they received was another army to fight them. Sheriff William Rogers was put in charge again. Major A. W. Bee became the Quartermaster.
Many young men quickly joined this new army. They went hunting for the Native Americans. The army set up camp at Johnson’s ranch once more. They sent small groups of men to find the Native Americans. One report claimed that a group found some Native Americans and killed many of them. However, this report turned out to be false. It was a trick meant to excite miners and townspeople who disliked the Native Americans.
The second campaign seemed like it would fail, just like the first one. To avoid this, Sheriff William Rogers and his team tried to make a deal with the Native Americans. They managed to create peace with them. This agreement ended the second El Dorado Indian War.
