Zamorano 80 Title
Indian Wars of the Northwest: A California Sketch
Notes: An important California book.
"A valuable and scarce book dealing with the settlement of the northwest coast counties of California, and treating in detail the many Indian uprisings of Trinity, Humboldt, and Del Norte counties during the first fifteen years of California's statehood. In this book a full account is given of the discovery of Humboldt Bay by Dr. Josiah Gregg of Commerce of the Prairies fame. Dr. Gregg's party were [among—ed.] the first Americans to see Humboldt Bay. Gregg lost his life by starvation on his way back to his headquarters, and was buried near Clear Lake. The Introduction is a long chapter on the pioneers of Humboldt County."—Zamorano 80, no. 6
After detailing the White history of Humboldt County, "His book then becomes a tragic litany of ever spiraling Indian-white depredations and reprisals. Murder, theft, and massacre dominated the 1850s and 1860s in that beautiful, forested land. Writing with his well-honed reportorial skills, he chronicled the so-called “Klamath War” of 1855; the acts of violence committed in the Eel River Valley, Hoopa Valley, and Mad River country; war with the Wintuns (called by him the Win-toons or “Mountain Diggers”); sale of arms and ammunition to the Indians; public meetings held to stamp out the Indian threats; formation of volunteer companies; and feeble actions of the U.S. military to bring peace. The most horrifying moment in this senseless time of blood-letting was the infamous massacre of innocent
Indian women and children at Indian Island in February 1860, which Bledsoe termed as “a deed so conscienceless in its inception, so cruel and heartless in its execution.” It ranks as one of the blackest episodes in the entire history of Indian-white relations..."—Gary Kurutz, in the Volkmann Zamorano 80 collection catalog published by Dorothy Sloan.
2 leaves, [9]-505 pages. Errata slip.
Edition + Condition: First edition (first printing). A very good copy in the publisher's legal calf binding. Spine leather scuffed, endpapers browned, but much nicer than usual. With the errata pasted in over the first Contents page. The majority of copies were bound in cloth.
Publication: San Francisco: Bacon & Company, 1885.
Item No: #362345
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