The Owens Valley War was fought between 1862 and 1863 by the United States Army and American settlers against the Mono people and their Shoshone and Kawaiisu allies in the Owens Valley of California and the southwestern Nevada border region.Captain John W. Key, V., U. S. Army Reserve, The Owens Valley Indian War, 1861-1865, Submitted to the Faculty of U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. 1979 The removal of a large number of the Owens River indigenous Californians to Fort Tejon in 1863 was considered the end of the war. Minor hostilities continued intermittently until 1867.
Origins of the conflict During the winter of 1861–1862, in the Owens Valley, the storms that produced the Great Flood of 1862 resulted in snow and flooding conditions in the surrounding mountains and as far to the east as the Mono County seat at Aurora. There had been light snowfall in November, then mild weather until Christmas Eve when it began a heavy and rapid snowfall for days, the temperature dropped below zero and the passes over the Sierra were closed. During the second week of January it warmed slightly and the snow became a torrential rain. Creeks overflowed their banks, flooding low-lying areas. After a week it cooled again and snow began to fall. Within a few days the snow was deeper than it had been before the rains had begun to fall. Samuel Young of Aurora, recorded in his diary that the snow and rain had fallen for twenty six days out of thirty since December 24, 1861.Roger D. McGrath, Gunfighters, Highwaymen, and Vigilantes: Violence on the Frontier, University of California Press, 1987. p.20
This cold weather and flooding resulted in the local Paiute suffering the loss of much of the game they depended on. Additionally, the cattle driven into the Owens Valley in 1861 to feed the Aurora miners, competed with the native grazers. They also ate the native wild plant crops the Paiute irrigated and depended on as a staple to survive. Starving, the Paiute began to kill the cattle and conflict with the cattlemen began, leading to the subsequent Owens Valley Indian War.
Events, skirmishes and battles of the Owens Valley Indian War Beginning of hostilities Thompson - Crossen Incident Willie Arthur Chalfant, The story of Inyo, Hammond Press, W. B. Conkey Company, Chicago, 1922 San Francis Ranch peace conference - January 31, 1862 McGee Brothers cattle drive - Feb. 1862 Van Fleet - Shondow Fight - Taylor Cabin Fight - Threatened settlers concentrated their herds north of Owens Lake at the meadows on Oak Creek. They then sent messages for help to Aurora, county seat of nearby Mono County, and Visalia, county seat of their own Tulare County, over the Sierra Nevada mountains, for help. Colonel James H. Carleton, the Commander of the District of Southern California, received correspondence from Mr. S. A. Bishop of Fort Tejon and Mr. W. A. Greenly of the Owens Valley explaining the situation in the Owens Valley and requesting military assistance. Col. Carlton had Colonel George W. Bowie, Commanding Officer of Camp Latham, issue Special Orders Number 7. - March 17, 1862. Lieutenant Colonel George S. Evans and a detachment of companies G, I and K, Second Cavalry, California Volunteers, was ordered to proceed from Camp Latham to Owens Valley via Fort Tejon. Evans was to investigate the situation in Owens Valley and report back. His command was to take forty days rations and one hundred rounds of ammunition per man. When Acting Indian Agent for Nevada, Colonel Warren Wasson, had been informed of events to the south, he wired James W. Nye, Governor of Nevada Territory, then in San Francisco, about a peace mission to the Owens River Valley to prevent an Indian War from involving Nevada. Governor Nye approved the idea and asked General George Wright, Commander of the Department of the Pacific, for a fifty-man escort for the mission. General Wright ordered Captain E. A. Rowe, Commander of Fort Churchill, Nevada, to provide the necessary men. Captain Rowe ordered Post Lieutenant Herman Noble, 2nd Cavalry, Detachment Commander in Aurora, Nevada, to proceed to the Owens Valley with Colonel Wasson on a peacekeeping mission. Lieutenant Noble and his detachment linked up with Colonel Wasson about south of Aurora on April 4, 1862, and proceeded southward towards the Owens Valley. Raid on Alabama Hills Camp by settler posse under Charles Anderson - March 20, 1862 Volunteers arrive. 18 men from Aurora under John J. Kellogg, former Army captain and 22 from Visalia under Colonel William Mayfield, a retired Army officer. Combined with local settlers, Colonel William Mayfield, as senior officer, led a force of 60 men on a march north up the valley. - March 28, 1862
Evans' first campaign Lieutenant Colonel Evans' detachment of cavalry arrived at Owens Lake. - April 2, 1862. Skirmish at Putnam's Trading Post - Evans chased off Paiute who had put settlers at Putnam's under siege. - April 4, 1862 Captain Wynne left with supplies, in command of a small garrison at Putnam's Trading Post while Lt. Col. Evans advanced up the valley to catch up with Col. Mayfield. - April 5, 1862 Battle of Bishop Creek - April 6, 1862 Lt. Colonel Evans met Col. Mayfield's militia retreating back to Putnam's Fort and camped overnight north of Putnam's, at Big Pine Creek. - April 6, 1862. Colonel Mayfield reported to Colonel Evans that forty of his militia were still ready to march and fight the Indians. As Evans' and Mayfield's force marched north, Evans' scouts reported that Lieutenant Noble with fifty men of Company A, 2nd Cavalry, from Fort Churchill on their way south to Putnam's Store were nearby. Colonel Evans halted until Lieutenant Noble's command could come up with them and then proceeded to the north. - April 7, 1862. Scouts were sent out and one scout returned reporting a large force of Indians away near Bishop Creek. Evans moved up in a snow storm, but the Indians had left at the approach of the main body of cavalry. Campfires were observed in a canyon to the north. - April 8, 1862 Battle of Mayfield Canyon - April 9, 1862 Following the battle in Mayfield Canyon, Colonel Evans, out of provisions after feeding both his men and citizens in the Owens Valley, decided to return to Camp Latham, via Putnam's Store. Lieutenant Noble and his detachment accompanied Colonel Evans as far as Putnam's. The settlers demanded protection from the Indians from Colonel Evans. Colonel Evans explained that he did not have the authority to leave troops to protect the citizens and had no provisions for them to live upon if they did. Settlers had three options: remain in the valley, accompany Colonel Evans to Los Angeles or drive their livestock (4,000 cattle and 2,500 sheep) out of Owens Valley. Most of the settlers chose the latter. - April 10, 1862. Colonel Evans started back some to Los Angeles, and Lieutenant Noble returned to Aurora. - April 14, 1862 The Owens Valley Indians found they were left unopposed in the valley and attacked isolated parties of stockmen and miners throughout the area. - May and June 1862
Evans' second campaign Lt. Colonel Evans' detachment returned to Camp Latham. - April 28. Evans' report recommended a military post be established in the Owens Valley to protect the citizens and the route to the mining areas from Visalia and Los Angeles. Several citizens escorted out of Owens Valley by Colonel Evans traveled to San Francisco and urged General Wright that a permanent military post be established in the valley. After reading Colonel Evans' report of the situation in Owens Valley, General Wright wrote to Colonel Ferris Foreman, new commander of Camp Latham, to send two or three companies of the Second Cavalry with Lt. Colonel Evans as commander to establish a post in the Owens Valley. - May 2, 1862 Captain E. A. Rowe, with a detachment of Company A, 2nd Cavalry, came to Adobe Meadows, establishing a camp for the purpose of having talks with Mono leader Mannawahe. - June and July 1862. Colonel Evans with 201 men of Companies D, G and I, 2nd Cavalry, California Volunteers, departed Camp Latham for the Owens Valley. With them was a train of 46 wagons carrying equipment, ammunition and rations for the men.- June 14, 1862. Evans reaches Owens Valley. - June 30, 1862. After five days of chasing Indians in the valley, Colonel Evans decided that they would not come out to fight in the open and that it was impossible to follow them in the mountains and that a permanent military camp was required. Camp Independence, a base of operations in Owens Valley, was established on Oak Creek and named for the occasion, Independence Day. - July 4, 1862. Captain Rowe moved his command to a new camp east of the Owens River, opposite Camp Independence. - July 5, 1862.
First attempt at peace Captain Rowe, Company A, 2nd Cavalry, California Volunteers, despatched a note to Colonel Evans at Camp Independence stating that he and Mr. Wasson, the Indian Agent, had talked to Indian leaders in the area and made a treaty with them. A temporary peace was made for the summer with the Owens Valley Indian leaders, in anticipation of a permanent arrangement to follow. - On July 7, 1862. A meeting was arranged between Colonel Evans, Captain Rowe, Colonel Wasson and Captain George, a war chief of the Paiutes. Captain George stated that he didn't want to fight anymore and wanted to become a friend of the white man. Colonel Evans felt that many of the promises made by Indian Agent Wasson could not be kept. He also reported that if the troops were withdrawn, the attacks would resume. Department of the Pacific concurred with the terms of the treaty with the addition of provisions that the Indians were to restore all property stolen from the whites and they were to surrender four or five hostages to be a guarantee of their good faith. J. H. P. Wentworth, Indian Agent for the Southern California District, met with Colonel Wasson and as a result sent messages out to the Indians to gather at Camp Independence. The meeting was held and a treaty was signed. - October 6, 1862 Captain George, Tinemaha, and several others surrendered themselves and their families as hostages. chief of big pine band Joaquin Jim, not a participant in the treaty, continued hostilities. Colonel Evans left Camp Independence to establish Camp Babbitt outside Visalia with Company D and I, 2nd Cavalry. 100 men of Company G, 2nd Cavalry, under Captain Theodore H. Goodman was left behind to garrison and continue building Camp Independence. Captain Goodman resigned his commission, being replaced by Captain Ropes in command of Camp Independence. - January 31, 1863
Owens Valley Indians return to war Captain George disappeared from Camp Independence after receiving his rations. - March 1, 1863 Captain Ropes sent soldiers to various settlements, warning people to stay home and be on their guard. Four miners were attacked at Big Pine Creek, leaving 1 wounded and 1 killed. - March 2, 1863.McGrath, Gunfighters, ..., p. 33 Captain Jack's band sacked the cabin of a mining company, taking guns and ammunition and destroying everything else not taken. Several other cabins were also sacked and another miner killed in the next few days. At Ida Camp sections of a water pipe was taken for its lead. Later two miners fetching water from the spring for Ida were attacked, killing one, the other saving himself by a ruse.McGrath, Gunfighters, ..., pp. 33-34 Captain Ropes sent messages to Camp Babbit requesting assistance. Camp Babbitt immediately sent First Lieutenant S. R. Davis with 44 men to reinforce camp Independence. Skirmish at Black Rocks - March 11, 1863 Battle of Alabama Hills - March 19, 1863 Company E, 2nd Cavalry arrived, as reinforcements under the command of Captain Herman Noble. - April 4, 1863 Battle of Big Pine Creek - April 9, 1863