Yontoket massacre facts for kids

The Yontocket massacre or Burnt Ranch massacre was a terrible event that happened in 1853. It was an attack on the Tolowa people at their village of Yontocket in northwestern California. The Tolowa name for the village was yan'-daa-k'vt.

Before the Attack

The Tolowa Tribe, also known as the Taa-laa-wa Dee-ni', are Native American people from northern California and southern Oregon.

In the spring of 1853, a group of gold prospectors, led by a man called "California Jack," left Crescent City. They were looking for gold near the Smith River. Later, a Native American person was seen in Crescent City with a pistol that had "California Jack" engraved on it. People in town thought this meant the prospectors had been killed by Native Americans.

This belief led to an attack on Native Americans at Battery Point. The person with the pistol and several others were killed. Townspeople then formed a search party to find the prospectors' camp and bodies. When they found them, their anger grew.

After the Battery Point attack, many Tolowa survivors went to a small Native American settlement called Yontocket Ranch. This ranch was near the mouth of the Smith River. A group of townspeople formed, ready to fight. It seemed someone in this group knew the area around Yontocket Ranch very well.

Yontocket was a very important place for the Tolowa people. It was where their ancestors first arrived on the coast. It was also a village on the south side of the Smith River.

The Needash Ceremony

The Needash is a special Tolowa feather dance and prayer ceremony. It happens twice a year. This particular Needash was after the fall harvest. Native Americans from nearby areas, including the Chetko, Pistol River, Tolowa, Tututni, and some Rogue River tribes, gathered at Yontocket. Yontocket was known as the "Center of the Tolowa World." Tribes often met there during the summer and winter solstices.

The ceremony lasted ten nights. On the third night, a group of armed townspeople entered the village. This is when the attack began.

The Attack

When Peter H. Burnett learned where the survivors of the Battery Point attack were, he helped form a group of thirty-three men. California Jack and his men said they were "well armed and resolved upon the extermination of all Indians." This means they intended to kill all Native Americans.

The men surrounded the Tolowa people, trapping them. As the sun rose, they opened fire on Yontocket. The Tolowa people ran out of their homes, armed with bows and arrows, fighting for their lives. Their traditional weapons were no match for the modern weapons of the attackers.

Many Tolowa people tried to escape, but there was little chance of survival. The screams of men, women, and children filled the air, adding to the confusion. Hundreds of people were killed in the attack.

An eyewitness described the horror: "The people got all around them… Every time someone go out, never come back in… they set fire to the house, the Indians' house. You could see them just cutting heads off. They stick them things into them; pretty soon they pick them up and throw them right into the fire. Some of 'em tried to get away, run down the slough. Soon as they get down there, if they don't get 'em right away, they get 'em from the other side when they come up. Shoot 'em right there, waiting for them."

After the attack, the men built a huge fire. They threw almost everything the Tolowa people owned into it. They burned sacred ceremonial clothing and even very young children were tragically burned. Finally, Burnett's men burned Yontocket to the ground. Only a few Tolowa people were left alive.

The attackers reported that they did not mean to kill women and children. However, so many victims were burned, drowned, or floated away that a full count of the dead was impossible. Some sources estimated about 150 lives were lost that morning. However, Tolowa sources say that 600 people were killed at Yontocket. This event is considered one of the deadliest attacks in U.S. history.

After the Attack

After the Yontocket massacre, it was reported that between 450 and 500 Tolowa people had died. Because their homes were burned down, the place became known as "Burnt Ranch."

The Yontocket Massacre severely damaged the cultural heart of the Tolowa people. This was a place where Native Americans from surrounding areas gathered for celebrations and important discussions. The Tolowa survivors were forced to move to a village north of the Smith River called Howonquet.

Sadly, the killing of Tolowa people continued for some years. They were often attacked during their Needash celebrations. These attacks contributed to unrest, which partly led to the Rogue River Indian War. In 1855, many Tolowa people were held at Battery Point. This was done to stop them from joining an uprising led by their chief.

Many more Tolowa people died in the years following the Yontocket Massacre and the Battery Point Attack. These include:

• The Chetko Massacre, with 24 dead.
• The Smith Creek Massacre, with 7 dead.
• The Howonquet Massacre, with 70 dead.
• The Stundossun Massacre, with 300 dead.

In total, 902 Tolowa Native Americans were killed over seven years. There are no records that any of the attackers were ever held responsible for these terrible events. The American side reported little or no loss of life.